The Eleventh Hour
by Organization VI
Summary: For Riku, his past was the same as his future.  KH2 spoilers
1. The First Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter One – THE FIRST HOUR

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**TICK**

"Riku, cut that out!"

"Some hero you are, without any manners. Aren't we supposed to be shining examples of light and goodness and all that?"

"Manners don't count! And anyway, you're just being worse!"

"Fine, you win," Riku sighed, passing the jug of lemonade back to Sora. "I'll get a 'please' out of you one of these days."

Sora took the jug and poured himself a generous helping –his second, already- before passing it down to Kairi. Noticing that Sora was too busy chowing down to continue the argument, Riku decided to dig into his own food. After a full day of fighting, the steamed rice, chicken and vegetables looked better than ever.

The food almost distracted him from the pain in his arm. He rubbed at his shoulder, irritated at the reminder. During a brawl around the postern, he'd gotten stabbed by one of those big M... _Those big...uh..._

He threw a questioning glance at Sora. "Hey, what are those big Heartless called? The fat green ones, covered in spikes."

Sora started to talk around a mouthful of food, but when Kairi waved a chiding fork at him, he paused to swallow first. "What, the one that just spiked you today? How could you possibly forget that! It was..."

Riku waited, but Sora just sat there with his mouth hanging open, as if waiting for someone to put the right words into it.

"Morning Star!" Donald squawked, almost hopping out of his seat with frustration.

Kairi laughed. "We just saw them today! How could you forget what they were?"

"That was weird," Sora mused, scratching at the back of his hair. "I just completely blanked there for a second."

Sora shrugged it off, but Riku found himself staring down at his plate for a moment of stupor. He rubbed at the ache on his shoulder again; the actual wound sealed up with a cure spell. _Morning Star? I was using Dark Aura against it, I thought. How could I forget it?_

Just as his thoughts began to settle back down into hunger, a brief knock at the door interrupted them. A chorus of "come in" greeted Leon as he strode into the dining room. He responded with an even briefer smile, although Riku could tell underneath he was just as pleased as they were.

"So, another victory dinner," he asserted, nodding at the impressive meal laid out before them.

"Aerith's been treating us so well since we arrived!" King Mickey added cheerfully.

Aerith just smiled back, her face as warm and friendly as ever. "Not at all. It's the least I could do after all the hard work you've put in for us."

"I know you guys'll be busy for awhile," Leon said, his tone less cheerful.

_A while._ Riku wondered how much longer it would be. How long was it already? Years? At least half a decade. So much time spent slicing through ranks of Heartless; it was easy to forget why they'd started in the first place.

_As long as there is darkness in peoples' hearts, there will be Heartless. If everyone's hearts were filled with light, the Heartless would disappear,_ Sora had said. _We can't make everyone have light in their hearts. But we can get rid of the Heartless, and that will help bring back the light._

And that was that. A year and a half after returning home, and they were back on the job again. There were Heartless to destroy, and worlds to save...not from a tyrant or manipulator like Xehanort's Heartless or Nobody, but from themselves.

But even with so much ahead of them, Riku didn't feel that bad about it. He had himself. He had his friends. And he didn't mind if the rest of his life was like this. In fact, it was hard to imagine something better.

Leon knelt down and grabbed a bun off the table assortment, much to Donald's irritation. "S'good," he mumbled as he bit into the bread. "I haven't seen so much good food so often since Cloud came back."

"Back from where?" Sora asked suddenly.

The table fell unnaturally silent once again. Riku stared at Leon, who looked like he'd said something rude in a foreign language without realizing it. "I mean...he disappeared for awhile, didn't he? To fight someone. Three...four years?"

Goofy tapped at his head; a sign that he was deep in thought. "I think I mighta remember him fighting against someone...Surfa...Sefil..." He looked at Donald as if the magician would correct his mistake, but got no reply.

"That's so strange," Aerith sighed, setting down her glass before it reached her lips. "I remember us throwing a really big party for Cloud when he came back. But I can't ever remember him being gone."

The silence returned, and it beat on Riku's nerves even worse than the ache in his shoulder. As usual, Sora was the one to mend it. "Haha, we're all getting senile in our old age!" he exclaimed.

"Who're you calling 'old'?" Kairi shot back, and they all laughed.

Riku laughed as well, but his laughter died when he noticed a silhouette against the blurred-glass window. The figure was tall and armored. _A Heartless?_

He glanced back to his friends; no one else seemed to have noticed. His eyes shot back to the window. The figure was gone.

Riku ate the rest of his meal in silence.

------

The sun had set already, but its light still cast long shadows across the balconies of Radiant Garden's castle. Riku mulled along the railing, gazing out at the warm and peaceful streets below. Leon had been right all along...they really had made this world better than it once was.

But he was looking for the armored figure from the window. He knew he wouldn't find the visitor, but he couldn't help but look.

"You coming in?"

Riku smiled as Sora approached, dressed in his bathrobe. He looked a little ridiculous, and Riku wanted to laugh at him. For how much time had passed, it seemed their appearances had changed little. Sora's face was thinner, and his hair jutted up more towards the back than the sides of his head. As for himself, his silver hair stayed long, but it had begun to stick up in places, especially behind his ears. He didn't mind, despite Kairi's insistence that he get a haircut.

"Yeah, I won't forget," Riku answered him. Instead of waiting, Sora joined him at the balcony.

"Heh, unlike tonight at dinner," he joked.

"Like _you_ were any better, Mr. I'm-Getting-Senile."

The brown-haired young man just sighed. His smile seemed a little less genuine than usual, and that bothered Riku. Sora was almost never one to get upset over the little things...or the big things, for that matter.

"So what's bothering you?"

"Hmm, well, tonight just reminded me..." Sora hesitated, twisting his fingers together. "I forgot mine and Kairi's anniversary."

_Now_ Riku had cause to laugh. "Already? Hahaha, I bet Kairi gave you a piece of her mind about that—"

"But the thing is, Kairi forgot it, too."

Riku fell quiet again. For some reason, that seemed less funny. His friend continued, "We both just _forgot_. We didn't even realize it until the King wished us Happy Anniversary."

The warm night air suddenly felt heavy on them. "Well, we've all been so busy, things like that can just slip your—"

"There's more," Sora interrupted quietly. "Just a few days ago, Jiminy was going over the itinerary with me, and he mentioned going to the Land of Dragons. And for almost an hour, I _couldn't_ remember who I knew from that world. I couldn't even remember visiting it!"

Riku didn't need to see his face to know this really bothered Sora. He wondered how long he'd been holding this anxiety inside. "It didn't seem that big a deal, but then tonight when you mentioned the Heartless and Leon talked about Cloud..."

"It's not just you," Riku finished. "It's all of us. We're forgetting things..._important_ things."

They said nothing for a moment. The sun's glow finally died, leaving only the lights of streetlamps and the indoors to cast their shadows. "So, what do we do about it?" Sora asked.

"I don't know," he replied, and the thought frustrated him. Nothing bothered him more than a problem without a solution. "I think we need to know more first."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Sora responded, smiling again. He stood back from the railing and stretched, yawning with a contentment Riku wished he shared. "Well, Kairi's waiting. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Riku considered telling him of the strange figure at the window, but thought better of it. No need to leave Sora with any more seeds of doubt. He waved goodbye, but didn't leave the balcony just yet. The view of the town offered a warm peace that being alone in his bedroom couldn't quite provide. It didn't have the same feeling of home that the Islands did, but it was close enough. It helped him forget about the questions burning in his mind...what was causing this memory loss? What if they were forgetting something important right now? Did it have something to do with their mission?

Riku shrugged away the incessant tug at the back of his brain. If Sora could get along fine without the answers, then so could he.

He watched the lighted windows of Radiant Garden begin to blink out, and with them went his own sense of uneasy urgency. This world had worked long and hard to pull itself out of the dark and stay in the light. And he had done the same, too. He could not imagine abandoning that now.

**TOCK**

He had abandoned it all: peace, security, and most importantly, ignorance. _He_ was Ansem, and he was wise. He would never be ignorant again; he would never be alone again.

He would never be whole again.

Below him, Radiant Garden burned. Its citizens had abandoned their homes in the wake of darkness pouring from beyond the door, and some of the unattended fires had taken to the roofs and hopped from building to building. The smoky sky was cluttered with gummi ships; crude vessels constructed too quickly with too new technology. Many did not make it past the world's walls before their wings clipped off and their engines died.

One large ship was attacked by a massive flying Heartless: it looked vaguely like a dragon, with a mane of streaming black hair and claws like lances. With one slash from its tail, it tore the ship in two. While the Heartless was distracted, a different ship shot for freedom – and made it.

Those denizens not fortunate enough to have a gummi ship were caught in the melee. Mothers attempted to force their children to flee, even as Heartless claws tore into their clothes and skin. A few brave souls attempted to fight back with torches and pitchforks (what other weapons were needed in a world of gardens?) But the largest Heartless got to them...the mountainous one made of rocks, the one that froze their torches over with icy breath, the one that hid in the corners and shot bolts at them from its mouth, the one that slithered up from the ground like a hooded shadow and choked them from behind.

And he watched it all with a smile on his face, but no happiness. There was no happiness to be had in darkness; only pleasure. The pleasure of knowing all, seeing all and having all without _really_ having.

The fool'd been wrong all along. He didn't need his past. He didn't need memories. He certainly didn't need _friends_. All he could ever want was right here, right now, in the crumbling world.

The only thing he really regretted was discarding his body. He only vaguely remembered the split; something that felt like a tremor before stillness, or like dying. He imagined that the empty shell he'd stripped off would be unhappy with him.

No matter. Hadn't Ansem himself said all important things required sacrifices?

Not like that. _He_ was Ansem now...ruler of the world, and all-knowing. He was no longer just 'another,' the strange one called Xehanort, the one with no past and no future. He had the darkness, and the darkness was his. He wanted to spread it to every world as he did this one; wanted to search even further and pull out a darkness so thick and deep that no light could ever pierce it. All he needed to do that was...

_A Key._

Yes, that was all. After all, he had opened the door to this world. He had always been an opener of doors, a wielder of Keys. _But where has my Key gone?_

He lifted his arms slightly, and floated out over the balcony, his silver hair whipping in the harsh wind. Since losing his body, he discovered he had no sense of weight...or at least, there was only weight where _he_ saw fit. With no shell to hold him back, his form molded to his own perception.

_Where is my Key?_

As he coasted along the wreckage, the screams of his followers falling silent on his ears, the memory struck him. _The Princess...the pure one!_ Hadn't he sent her off of the world, into the ocean of stars? He remembered the darkness in her parents' faces when he took her, if nothing else. _She'll lead me back to the Key. She'll find the one who will open the last door for me. _

He ascended above the rooftops, gazing one last time as his beloved world, and was gone.

------

His abandoned half woke to the feeling of wet splatters on his cheek. He didn't move for a long time; too afraid that if he so much as blinked, his form would crumble into nothing and he would end forever. But the rain was starting to chill him, and he had to know whether or not he was alone—

He stood, and his vision spun. Beyond the blur of raindrops there was the black brick and steel of a city. Neon lights glowed around the city's edges as if inhabited, but he somehow _knew_ he was alone.

He sucked in breath after breath, wondering if he was panicking. Was he supposed to be lonely? Angry? Why couldn't he—

That was just it...he could feel nothing. And feeling nothing felt like a burning ache in his chest, like weeks' worth of hunger, like a ringing in his ears that he couldn't stop. It was maddening.

It all came crashing down on him in an instant: the years spent in study, the experiments, the dark beings that crawled out of the bottom of the castle, the door and what lay beyond it, the pull of darkness...the men in the desert...

_You fool...you wretched fool! Look what you've done to me! To us!_

He wanted to cry, or scream, or hate, or mourn, but he couldn't. All there was to do now was think, and plan. If he was cunning enough, if he used his resources or recruited others to his cause, he would get his heart back. He'd know better.

All he could think of first was that he needed to call himself something. The déjà vu of it all made him grimace...he had done this before. He was no longer the shell of another, and no longer even Ansem. _Just the shell of a shell...Xemnas._

He stood straighter, facing the menacing skyscraper that watched over him. The neon burned into his tired eyes, but he wished it was brighter. As if it could hear him, the lights glowed brighter. Even in this state, he still retained some control.

_I won't stay as the shell of a shell. I'll know everything._

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Please send reviews to 'Lynx' of Organization VI. Many thanks!


	2. The Second Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter Two – THE SECOND HOUR

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**TICK**

The gang of Heartless split: some ran for the outer ramparts, while a few stragglers scuttled over the cobblestones and into the courtyard. Riku barred his Keyblade, tracking the few that ran just out of his line of sight. He yelled back over his shoulder, "I'll take those, you three handle the rest!"

"You sure you'll be okay by yourself, Riku?" Goofy called back down, his shield held out in an attack posture.

"I think I can handle half a dozen Heartless." Riku smirked back up at the knight. "I'll meet up with you guys in just a second."

"Right!" Sora nodded in return, spinning the Keyblade behind his back. His fighting clothes had changed to blue hues, and his shoes hovered a few inches off the ground. "Come on, guys!" he encouraged, waving a hand over his shoulder. He skated on air down the rampart, with Goofy and an exhausted Donald close behind him. Satisfied that the trio had things under control, he descended the steps two at a time down to where the courtyard opened up before the castle gate.

His steps slowed once he reached level ground. The Heartless he had seen come this way were nowhere to be found...in fact, the entire area was completely silent. Even the footsteps of Sora, Donald and Goofy were gone. The air around him felt hollow and unbreathable.

"Riku."

The shattered silence felt like glass in his ears. He spun, and saw the source of the voice. It was a man, or maybe a Heartless...he couldn't tell for all the armor it wore. The armor seemed to sprout from the figure like curved, plated scales. He could _feel_ this thing as well as see it, and it felt old. He couldn't see its eyes, but he knew it was staring right at him, and with a tired spite that only ancient things could feel. _The thing I saw at the window!_

He regained his senses, and brandished Way to the Dawn with one arm outstretched. "Who are you?"

"A Chaser."

"A what—"

The Chaser extended a hand. "Come with me. Your time is running short. All time is running short."

"Come with you where?"

"To where you began. To your future." The Chaser's voice was garbled beneath the armor, and sounded more like a distant, metallic echo than a real voice.

Riku's gaze narrowed. He remembered the last time a dark figure had asked for his cooperation. "My future's right here," he said, taking a cautious step backward.

The Chaser didn't seem to have heard him. "It will only get worse. You'll lose the memories first. Then the places you know and the people you love will be gone. Everything will be reduced to oblivion. You have no choice, Xehanort."

His breath froze in his chest, then heated back up into an anger that spread down to his fingers. "_What_ did you call me?"

"We knew you would resist," the Chaser almost sighed. "But if you will not come back willingly, then we shall use force."

"I'll show _you_ force!"

Riku concentrated the heat of darkness in his limbs, and shot the energy as a Dark Aura spell from his Keyblade. The white-hot bolts bee-lined for the armored figure...who sidestepped it as if it'd always known it was coming. "Good to see you haven't lost your affinity for darkness over the years."

It held out a hand, and with a rippling displacement of space, a very familiar weapon fell into its fingers.

_A Keyblade!_

This Keyblade was massive, with jagged teeth and an iron grip that looked worn down from centuries of use. The Chaser hefted it over its shoulder as if it weighed nothing. _Now_ Riku was actually afraid.

His opponent charged, leaving Riku a split second to block the strike. He could feel the crushing weight of the iron Key grinding against his own, and yet somehow knew its wielder wasn't using its full strength against him. He ducked low, and swung the Keyblade at his attacker's legs. The Chaser dodged, and Riku took the opportunity to back off and fire another Dark Aura spell, but the bolts were deflected.

Then the Chaser charged again, putting Riku back on the defensive. He barely had enough time to block strike after strike after strike, let alone get in one of his own. The echoes of pounding metal shivered through his nerves, weakening his limbs with every clash. _If I don't take the upper hand now, it'll overpower me with no effort!_

Summoning the thick fire of darkness deep within him, he pressed against the Key and forced the armored figure back. Riku regained his ground, panting and tasting the darkness in his mouth. _It's too strong. Maybe if I keep it talking, it'll let its guard down and I can finish it!_

"You said our memories would leave first..." he gasped. "How do you know about that? Do you know what's causing it?"

"If something never happens, it will leave no memory," it responded simply. It stepped to the side, and Riku did so as well, keeping them circling.

"That doesn't make any sense. How could we forget something happened if it never happened in the first place?"

Two more steps. "A paradox. You are undoing everything."

Riku felt his plan was backfiring...the Chaser was confusing him more than he was confusing it. He decided he needed different questions. "How do you have a Keyblade?"

"A relic of forgotten years," it said, and its pace seemed to slow.

He grabbed the opening, and sped around behind his opponent while unleashing another Dark Aura spell. It hit this time, and he landed a series of fast slashes across its back as it reeled. The Chaser faced him again in a split moment for breath, but Riku still held the upper hand. He swung his Keyblade in a blind rage, adrenaline and darkness pushing his movements at a pace far faster than normal. The Chaser just blocked his attacks...it clearly wasn't trying to actually kill him.

Enough successive swings from Way to the Dawn finally pinned it against the wall. But just when Riku thought he had it finished, it disappeared – and reappeared directly behind him. He froze, waiting for the blow he knew was coming.

Instead, he just heard its voice, cold and metallic close to his ear:

"It seems you still need convincing. But never forget: we'll be back for you soon, Xehanort."

Riku spun back around to face the Chaser, but it was gone. He was alone in the courtyard once again.

"Riku!"

He heard Sora's voice, and looked up to see the trio descending from the rampart to meet him. His clothes had returned to their usual black, and he waved the Keyblade over his head with a look of triumph. "Piece of cake! We got 'em all."

"Huh?" His own fight had distracted him from what they were supposed to be doing in the first place.

Goofy tilted his head at him. "You okay?"

Riku realized that he was panting, and that his hands were shaking from the adrenaline. He dismissed Way to the Dawn from his grip, but his fingers remained in their reflexive curl.

Sora noticed his ragged state. "You don't look so good. What happened?"

"N-nothing," Riku breathed, sucking in air as if he'd been holding his breath the entire time. "They just all ganged up on me at once. Took me by surprise."

"Huh..." Sora didn't look completely convinced, but enough for now. "Say, did you see my Follow the Wind Keychain anywhere around? It's not in my pocket, so I think I might've dropped it."

"No," Riku replied. _When has Sora ever lost a Keychain?_

"Probably left it in your room," Donald scolded.

Sora shrugged. "Maybe. Well, it looks like we got all of them, so let's go find the others."

The three walked back in the direction of the town. Riku only gave a brief glance over his shoulder before following them.

_Whatever that thing was...if it _does _come back, I'll stop it for sure. _

**TOCK**

"Bring him here."

He watched as two Armored Knight Heartless dragged his former teacher to his feet. Ansem the Wise crumpled to his knees once released, his blond hair ragged and his skin covered in bruises. The Heartless backed off at his commanding gaze.

"Braig...Dilan...Ienzo...where are they? What have you done with them?" Ansem gasped, sounding much older than he looked even now.

"You should be more worried about yourself," Xehanort said with a sneer, his long cape brushing the ground behind his boots. Much more fitting than his old lab coat. "You see, this world no longer needs you. _I_ no longer need you."

Ansem swallowed hard. "Xehanort, I've taken care of you all this time. I know how desperately you want the answers to your questions. But you cannot obtain them like this!"

"Stupid old fool," he spat back, his orange eyes burning as fierce as Ansem's once did. "I've already found the answer. It was beneath our feet the entire time, behind the door...you were just too cowardly to accept it."

"I did so for the good of the world!" Ansem exclaimed before his voice became quiet again. "For the sake of everyone...for your sake."

Xehanort decided he didn't want to look at his master's face anymore, and began to circle him, broken glass crunching under his boots. "Or just because some simple-minded King told you so."

"Don't you dare bring King Mickey into—"

"I care not for other worlds," Xehanort interrupted. "How did they care for me? By casting me aside, as you have done? So I'm simply returning the favor."

There was a long pause, broken only by the cracking glass and the scraping shift of the Heartless's armor. "I see now there will be no stopping you or convincing you of your errors," Ansem said with a shuddering sigh. "I have failed you."

Xehanort smirked. "Wise until the end."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Oh, I do believe you know the answer to that already." He stopped circling and stood behind Ansem. "Darkness has given me all of the answers I seek, so I will let you experience that darkness. You will see all the answers you need, too."

Ansem the Wise took in each breath with a solemnity Xehanort could only assume was acceptance. "Where are my other apprentices?"

The white-haired man suddenly became angry at the mention. "Always caring so much about others! Never willing to admit the selfishness you harbor!" He raised a gloved hand as if to strike.

"It _was_ selfish of me!" Ansem yelled back. "I should have known better than to temper the darkness of a heart already steeped in it...but I wanted to know! I wanted to know for your sake!"

Xehanort lowered his hand. "More petty excuses."

Ansem was gasping now, as if knowing he had little time left. "All I ask, if you are to punish me...is that you hurt no one else. Leave this world be. If you must chase darkness, leave the worlds and their people in peace!"

The sneer returned. He had found the spot that hurt the most. "_I_ am Ansem now. This world will do as I say. They will follow their wise leader."

The fire of anger that he thought Ansem had lost spurred to life again. "No! You will _not_ harm innocents! I will not stand for it!"

Xehanort's grin spread wider at witnessing his master's fury. He could almost taste its bitterness. "All you own belongs to me. Your gardens, your people, your world are mine to do with as I see fit."

And then he was back on his feet, ignoring the shifting clanks from the Armored Knights. "I _cannot_ stand for it! All those people...they must be kept safe from the darkness!"

Xehanort lifted his hand, and a swirling pool of darkness appeared before the study door. "I will reduce everything to oblivion. You have no choice."

Forgetting both the portal of darkness and the surrounding Heartless, Ansem threw himself upon his former apprentice. He barely even landed one punch before he was restrained again by metal arms. Xehanort rubbed at the bruise on his cheek, but merely smiled. "Always resistant. Like me."

The Heartless began to drag Ansem back towards the portal. Xehanort pointed at his struggling form. "You, who were once called Ansem the Wise, are unfit to rule this world. Therefore, you are exiled to the realm of darkness, never to return."

His teacher flailed uselessly against the Heartless, having lost his former dignity. His eyes now matched the rage within his own. "I swear to you, Xehanort, I will make you pay for this! I will make you suffer!"

Then the Armored Knights shoved him through the portal. Something like a strangled cry echoed back through the dark, but then the blackness dissipated and he was gone.

Xehanort's feelings of triumph were damped by a great bitterness as his master's last words hung in the empty space.

_Why do his words feel so familiar? _

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	3. The Third Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter Three – THE THIRD HOUR

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**TICK**

Nearly two weeks later, the armored figure still did not return. But things did get worse.

Sora again forgot the names of some of the friends they visited in Agrabah. Chip and Dale forgot one of the new gummi routes they were working on, and had to start from scratch. Riku realized there was a space of two months during the time he'd traveled with King Mickey that was now completely blank.

The memory loss crept back into battle as well, particularly doing a huge fight outside the castle walls that involved all six of them. As Kairi was about to be struck by a massive Heartless she was parrying, Donald raised his staff to protect her with a reflega spell...but hesitated on the actual word. It had slashed her in the side, and it was only a quick mega-potion from Goofy that kept her from permanent injury.

Riku had never seen Sora so furious. He knew that he wanted to yell at Donald (_What were you doing? You saw what was coming! She could have been killed!_) But Sora couldn't yell at his old friend like that. Especially with Donald's unusually profuse apologies (I'm sorry, Kairi! Sora! I didn't mean to, I just couldn't...I'm sorry!)

But even that didn't disturb Riku the most. It was the things that had begun disappearing.

It wasn't much; just little things. Three Keychains were missing from Sora's collection. A page from Winnie the Pooh's storybook seemed to be gone, but nothing was torn out. Some old files from Tron's database couldn't be found.

When one of Jiminy's old journals completely vanished, Kairi suggested they get together and "talk about it."

So the next night, the six of them met after dinner in the library of Radiant Garden's castle. There was still plenty of light from the windows to flood the leather-covered table where they gathered, but twilight was coming fast, so they lit several candles. Aerith brought up tea and cookies for them, which they were all grateful for. But once the door was shut and the six were left alone, the food seemed a little superfluous.

King Mickey began. "Well, it seems we've got a big problem on our hands. Folks have been forgetting important things, places and people."

"And some stuff's gone missin' too," Goofy pointed out.

"Right. Now, we don't know whether all this stuff's connected, but it sure does seem like it."

Sora folded his arms over his chest. "But the problem is, we don't know what's _causing_ it. So we don't know how to stop it."

"It could be a Heartless messin' with our heads," Donald suggested.

"But it'd have to be a really powerful Heartless if it could make _everyone_ forget things," Kairi said. "Even more powerful than Xehanort's Heartless."

Riku felt a lump form in the back of his throat at the name, and he tried to change the subject. "I think we're jumping to conclusions. Now let's think backwards...has something like this ever happened before?"

The six thought about it for a moment, although Sora thought aloud. "Memories going missing...and records of those memories disappearing as well..."

The answer struck the King first, and struck him so hard he leaped out of his chair. "Castle Oblivion!"

Riku could've picked up the mouse and hugged him for how obvious it was. "Of course, that's right! If we could find Castle Oblivion again, it might have some answers for how we fix this."

Sora looked crestfallen. Riku understood why: for Sora, Castle Oblivion was nothing more than a big hole in his life; a lost year he could never get back. The mention of the place also seemed to depress Kairi, although for different reasons entirely. "Do you think it's actually safe to go back there?" he ventured.

"Since the Organization no longer controls it, I think it should be okay," Mickey said.

"Maybe they even left behind some clues, since the King said they were doin' memory experiments," Goofy offered.

"Well, if it'll help us figure out why we're losing our memories, then we'll have to risk it," Sora finally said, looking determined.

"Do you think we can even find it again?" Kairi asked.

"I'll ask Chip and Dale to start tracking for it with the data we have," Mickey assured her. "Unless it's completely disappeared too, we should find it again. Let's get to work!"

------

A few days of careful preparation followed the castle's discovery on the gummi world map. It was located on a world lost in shadow, bordering on the edge of the realm of darkness as Twilight Town was. In fact, Castle Oblivion's world was not far from Twilight Town. It was a small world; easy to miss unless specifically looked for.

With a safe gummi route secured, the six took the _Highwind_ down the empty black path, with Sora and Donald piloting. There were far fewer Heartless and Nobody ships to hinder them, but a sense of unease still permeated the ship, and little was said on the trip there.

Once they approached the world, nothing was said at all until the ship transported them down to the world's surface.

The _Highwind_ was not off the mark. Before them stretched the remains of a long dirt path, now overgrown with weeds. At the end of the path stood the castle, seeming to grow out of the jagged cliff in all directions.

It had been many years since Riku had last seen it, but he could still see the differences. Some of the top towers had fallen off, and the stone walls were cracking under years of neglect. Most of the windows appeared smashed. The sight reminded Riku of Heartless, and he wondered if any were still left inside.

"I wonder how we came to this castle in the first place," Sora said with some solemnity.

"After we closed the door to Kingdom Hearts the first time, you three must've been sent to one of the worlds close to the realm of darkness...a world in twilight," Mickey explained. "And the Organization might've had a hand in bringing you here, too."

"Gawrsh, do you suppose anyone actually still lives here?" Goofy asked in a nervous voice.

Kairi responded, "I don't think so. This entire _world_ feels empty."

When no one else moved, Riku began walking towards the entrance. "Come on. We didn't come all this way for nothing."

The others followed him up the path. But with each step Riku took, he felt something heavy tugging his heart down. He hated this place just as much as Sora did. But there was something else...something hunting him not just in his past, but in his future. The thought made him shiver, and he stopped once he got to the castle door.

Sora gave him a small nudge. "Let's go."

Riku swallowed hard. With the five behind him, he gripped the handles and opened the door.

**TOCK**

The door was before him, and the five behind him. He was ready.

"I have seen what lies beyond here, and it is everything we have ever wanted to know," Xehanort gritted between his teeth, as if trying to convince himself most of all. "If you look deep enough and long enough, you'll see it, too."

The air around them was cold and damp from the castle basements. Even the makeshift implantation of technology; wires and consoles strewn about to monitor their discovery, couldn't seem to warm the small space. And with his hands against the door, Xehanort felt it was the coldest of all, although he knew it lied.

And yet, even at this point of no return, there was hesitation in the ranks.

"Master Ansem would want to see," Dilan stated.

Xehanort's hands clenched. "He will. He'll see more than he ever wanted to see."

He removed his hands from the door's surface, and the worn wood faded into nothing. A sound like a toneless, pulsing rhythm echoed up into the chamber, reverberating up though their legs as if the earth itself had let out a deep breath. _The heart of the world._

The other five apprentices couldn't help themselves. They stepped forward and looked into the abyss.

Something cold rushed out of the black all at once, knocking the six men off their feet. It felt like an ocean had flooded from beyond the door and drowned the room, throwing their senses in all directions and causing the consoles to short out. Xehanort was lost in the sensation, and couldn't hear the other apprentices' screams (_Where am I? I can't see! I can't see!_) The first plunge was always the hardest.

Then the flood subsided, leaving the chamber in a cold darkness never before experienced. But the darkness didn't hinder Xehanort's sight. He could see the others slowly get to their feet, wisps of darkness clinging to their clothes and hair like smoke or gossamer.

Braig spoke first, his voice full of astonishment. "I can see!"

Elaeus echoed him in a similar tone. "I can see _everything_..."

"Yes..." Xehanort encouraged them, his eyes gleaming. _They will see as I see! They will do as I say!_

"I want more," Ienzo begged, starting to slide back towards the still-open door.

"Slowly," Xehanort warned, blocking his path. "Too much too soon, and it'll swallow you whole. You've seen what can happen yourself."

"But we need to know," Even added. "It's right there, just waiting for us!"

_Yes...it is waiting for you._

"But we can go no further in this state," Xehanort explained, almost coaxing in his apparent despair. "To see the greatest darkness, we'll need to strip off all useless things that are formed in light. Our cares, our fears, our bodies, our memories..."

"Mere intrusions," Dilan insisted.

"We don't need them."

"We don't want them."

It was working, just as he knew it would. _Yes. Yes._

"We can do what no one else can."

"We'll succeed where Master Ansem failed."

It was like a mantra now, and Xehanort couldn't differentiate their voices anymore. Behind him, the black and open pit seemed to come alive: yellow eyes opened in twos, tens, dozens and dozens. The shadows scuttled out of the darkness with feeling antennae and grasping claws. Before, they had been careful to keep these things and their artificial counterparts in containers and behind bars. But now they crept all over the machinery that had once monitored them.

The others just watched as the shadows found them and descended upon them. They didn't struggle as claws sunk into their chests and pulled free hearts that had already lost their glow. They just smiled.

Xehanort's smile was the broadest of all. _Just as I told them._

He swept away from the door and past his former cohorts, feeling rather than seeing their bodies begin to fade from existence. Some of the shadows followed him, as if hanging on his every thought. He knew that much larger shadows would follow him soon after.

Now the only one left to deal with was his old master.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	4. The Fourth Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Four – THE FOURTH HOUR

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**TICK**

Inside, Castle Oblivion was chaos. Even as the six stepped into the main hallway, they saw that someone had left a huge mess. Most of the crystal vases and sculptures had been smashed, and shards of glass cluttered the entire floor. Strewn among them were books and papers, some of them ripped to shreds. A scorch mark adorned one of the white walls.

"I don't like the way this place feels," Kairi said quietly.

Sora hesitated, but threw his shoulders back with resolution and stepped inside. "The sooner we find what we're looking for, the less time we'll have to spend here."

He walked inside, and the others followed. Riku glanced around at the trashed hallways with unease. He almost wished that some Heartless had been there to greet the. At least they knew how to deal with such enemies.

Goofy joined Sora at his side, while Donald, lacking shoes, tiptoed around the glass. "Which way do you think we should go?"

Sora looked towards the ceiling. "Supposedly, we fought Marluxia on the top floor, and he was the one trying to control our memories. I say we go up."

Riku glanced at Kairi, who faced the floor with an expression of shame. It made him feel awkward to be the only one who really remembered what Sora, Donald and Goofy did in Castle Oblivion, and even then, he'd only heard the story secondhand from Naminé. He'd explained all he could to Sora, but his memory was only so accurate. And if Kairi could even communicate with Naminé, she didn't share it.

Sora marched to the front door at the end of the hall; the passage that led to the upper floors. Riku knew the route to the basements was nearby, and the thought made him shiver. He watched as Sora tugged on the door handle, then tugged harder. The door gave back a groan of protest.

"It's unlocked, but it's not opening..."

He set his foot against the wall and pulled harder, straining now. But as he struggled, Riku noticed the groan becoming louder and more pronounced—

"Look out!"

Sora barely jumped out of the way as the door burst open, releasing a flood of vegetation. Twisting vines spilled into the hallway like a waterfall until they got jammed in the doorway and stopped.

"What was _that_?" Donald proclaimed once he recovered himself.

Goofy clambered closer to the vines and the door. "Gawrsh, it looks like some kinda jungle just grew down the stairs!"

Kairi examined one of the bright pink flowers growing from the branches, and brushed the petals as if to see if they were real. She withdrew with a hiss of pain when the petals drew blood. "These things are _sharp_!"

"And they're completely blocking the upstairs..." Riku observed.

"Maybe Marluxia had some kind of garden on the top floor, and it grew outta control over the years with no one takin' care of it," King Mickey said. He summoned his Keyblade. "I'll put an enchantment on it so that it won't grow anymore."

"So much for checking the upper floors," Sora groaned.

Riku couldn't help but feel that somehow he should have seen this coming. "I guess the only place we can go is down."

They cleared the way to the other entrance; the one that led to the castle basements. It wasn't blocked, but even before they entered Riku could smell something dank and foul from within.

The walk down seemingly endless stairs had them all on guard, but left Riku with a particular sense of déjà vu. Like the entrance above, the stairs and floors beneath were littered with broken glass, machinery and papers.

Goofy was the first to speak in a long time. "Is it just me, or is it gettin' colder?"

It was. Riku could see the moss sprouting from the walls covered in frost, and he pulled his coat tighter around himself. Kairi started shivering, prompting Sora to wrap one arm around her.

They reached another floor –Riku had no idea if this was the lowest level or not- and discovered the lights were still on. The hallway before them branched off into several adjoining rooms. King Mickey said, "Let's split up and see what we can find."

Going two each, they delved into the rooms. Riku and Sora took the right-hand one, only to discover it had once been part of a laboratory. Abandoned test tubes and machinery occupied one side of the room, while a desk covered in files and notes took up the other. Riku almost held his nose...whatever smelled rank seemed to be around here.

"Jackpot!" Sora declared, holding up one of the faded pages. "This looks like a whole bunch of notes on memory experiments."

Intrigued, Riku joined him. He picked up some of the random papers off the desk, trying to remember which one of the Organization could have written them. _It's all so fuzzy now..._

Sora began to read aloud. "'A heart, as has been concluded through number eleven's studies, is supported by memory. Therefore, it could be possible to make an artificial heart for an artificial being, as long as the heart is supported by authentic memories.'" He squinted, and tried another. "If constructed properly, an artificial replica could not only maintain the same functions as the original, but even supersede the original in certain desired qualities.'" He sighed, and threw down the papers. "I can't make any sense outta these!"

"It'll take us days to find any information we can use out of these notes..." Riku said with similar disappointment.

Kairi's frightened voice interrupted their search. "Sora! Riku! _There's someone down here!_"

The two immediately dropped the papers and sprinted out into the hall, where they were joined by Donald and Goofy. The sound of her voice led them to a room in the back; the entryway coated over with oil and frost—

Riku stopped cold. At the back of the laboratory was a massive ice pillar that seemed to sprout and grow all over the walls and ceiling as the flowered vines had done. But frozen in the center of the ice was a man. He was dressed in a long black coat, and had long, dirty blond hair.

The name finally came to him. "It's Vexen!"

Sora automatically drew the Keyblade, although there was no real need. "I thought you said all of the Organization members were gone!"

"I did. I don't know how..." Riku's voice fell. "He must've made a replica of himself. Like he did with me."

When Kairi walked closer to the ice prison, Sora put the Keyblade away. "Is he still alive?" she asked, circling him cautiously.

"I don't know." Riku moved closer to the pillar as well. The Vexen inside had his eyes closed, and could have been dead or sleeping for all he knew. But considering neither the Organization nor his replica had left bodies behind, he doubted it was the former.

"What should we do about him?" Goofy asked.

Donald quacked back, "Not let him _out_, that's for sure!"

"Yeah, the last thing we need is the Organization coming back," Sora said lowly.

Kairi and Riku backed off from the pillar. "I don't suppose you guys found anything better?" she asked.

"We found a lot of notes in the other room. They must be Vexen's records," Riku replied.

Sora added, "But they're all jumbled up! It's gonna take us a long time to sort through it and find anything useful."

"Well, that's what we came here for," King Mickey said with a nod. "So let's gather up all we can and get outta here. We can sort out his notes later."

"A-hyuck, not like he's gonna stop us," Goofy said with a nervous chuckle at the ice block.

"Right," Sora finished, and headed back towards the hallway. It looked like he was all too eager to get out of this place, and Riku couldn't blame him. He stole one last glance at the frozen form behind them...it looked like some unfinished museum display.

_Why would he leave these pieces of himself behind?_

**TOCK**

_A heart, as Xehanort has so easily proven, is fragile and easily susceptible to darkness. Test subjects one through sixteen have all exhibited the same reaction when exposed to natural Heartless. Our tests with the emblems have thusfar revealed—_

"Even, could you come help me with this?"

Even sighed at being interrupted in his note-taking. He put down the notebook and walked over to grab the other end of the large glass crate that Elaeus carried. Inside, something made flapping and squeaking noises. The two apprentices walked the crate over to a much larger holding pen, also glass. Clambering up the makeshift scaffolding, they hoisted the crate over a sliding trap door. Lining up the crate's opening with the larger pen's trap door, Elaeus first opened the crate, and then slid the trap door open—

"OH GOD PLEASE, NO, PLEASE DON'T—"

--The flapping, squeaking object from within the crate flew from its smaller confinement into the pen on purple bat-like wings, and then the door was shut again. The soundproof casings had been a good investment.

The apprentices stepped down the scaffolding as Xehanort observed their latest experiment: an emblem; a bat-like Heartless with a hook for a tail. Even grabbed back up the notebook to write down observations.

The Hookbat flapped around the pen's other occupant: a young man strapped down to a metal table. Although they couldn't hear him, the look on his face and the strain in his limbs indicated he was screaming. The Hookbat circled a few more times before driving its hook tail into its victim's chest. The man twitched for a few moments before something bright and pink floated free from his chest. The Heartless snatched up the freed heart in its flapping wings before it warped back into darkness. The discarded body soon followed, disappearing into nothing with what might have been a defeated sigh. With nothing for them to hold, the straps clanked loose onto the empty metal table.

Xehanort watched the scene before him with only mild interest. He had seen it before many times, to the point where it was almost tedious. And yet, every time there was a strange familiarity to it...one that didn't belong to these experiments.

"Subject reacted the same as all of the others," Even stated, scribbling something down in shorthand for later. "The subject was infused with a great amount of darkness, even more so than such a weak Heartless. But the Heartless was still able to overcome him."

"I thought we had already established that strength in darkness has little to do with strength in heart," Ienzo sighed, sounding impatient. "This randomized selection isn't working. We need to hand pick our subjects."

Xehanort answered him without turning around. "Master Ansem is already suspicious. The townsfolk are restless with so many missing. A pattern among the ones we take will only arouse them further."

"Then we'll have to be more prudent with who we choose next," Dilan said.

Mulling it over, Xehanort treaded away from the empty holding pen and back to the nearby hallway. The others kept pace aways behind him, waiting for some kind of confirmation. Along this hallway stood several makeshift pods; tubes and wires sprouting from the tops and joining together in a massive tangle in the ceiling. Within the pods stood more test subjects, all in various stages of "darkness infusion," as he called it. Most didn't move, but a few scratched at the glass with broken nails.

He hardly noticed. It had been difficult at first, when they first started collecting subjects. (_Don't worry, this will be for everyone's benefit! For the good of the world! It's just a little prick. You'll be done before you know it._) But now his heart has grown used to it, and he could barely remember caring for such stock in the first place.

But others still complained; particularly Braig, in the back. "I'm starting to think we should just stick with what we have. Not get any more subjects for now."

Xehanort knew he shouldn't blame the man. Not after a week ago, when one of these very test subjects had escaped and scratched out his eye. But he did so anyway.

"And let all of this research go to waste?" he declared, turning to face them. "And let months' worth of work amount to nothing? Have us never truly know how the heart works?"

The apprentices backed off as his eyes seemed to glow brighter. Above, the lights flickered and died.

"No," Braig said with a dull swallow. "We'll find more."

The lights returned. Xehanort's face softened back into his closest thing to a smile. It was nice to give them a little reminder every now and then. "Of course we will. We'll just be more prudent."

He strode back into the main laboratory. Apparently still not satisfied, Ienzo caught up to him with more queries. "I still say that we would get better results if we were to try a different approach. With a heart greatly steeped in light instead of darkness."

"Perhaps..." he mused.

"Who would fulfill such a requirement?" Elaeus asked.

"That one young girl...even Master Ansem's heard reports about her, and is interested," Ienzo explained. "Dilan's been keeping an eye on her for awhile. If we brought her back here, we could—"

"NO."

Xehanort's voice echoed off the metal of the laboratory a few times, freezing the apprentices. The abruptness of it even startled him. He didn't know why, but for some reason, being reminded of that girl always made his heart ache. While he could watch men, women and children succumb to darkness made manifest, something about her ocean-blue eyes stirred a feeling in him that felt long forgotten. Perhaps a feeling never had to begin with. _She's special, I know it. She's above this common rabble._

His voice soothed back over his previous outburst. "No. I have something else in mind for her."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	5. The Fifth Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five – THE FIFTH HOUR

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**TICK**

With nearly four books' worth of notes and writing stuffed into peoples' bags and pockets, the six made their way back up out of the basements and to Castle Oblivion's exit. Sora was already trying to examine a few, and was arguing with Donald on which order they went in. Although they hadn't come away empty-handed, Riku couldn't help but feel that this entire endeavor had been futile. Even if they did discover what was really causing the memory loss, would they be able to do anything about it?

The feeling was clinging to him so strongly it seemed to constrict the air out of his lungs. The space around them felt hollow and cold. _I've felt this before..._

"Riku."

All heads snapped up to realize that their path to the gummi ship transport spot was now blocked. Riku's blood froze like the breath in his chest.

The Chaser was back, still covered in armor and still shouldering that massive Keyblade. But now there were two others: a taller one, wielding a Keyblade that looked like a warhammer. The other was smaller and more petit, perhaps even female. It also carried a Keyblade.

"Who are you guys?" Sora asked, sounding uncertain whether they were friend or foe.

"We've come for Riku," the shorter one said. Its voice was still garbled, but definitely sounded female.

"I warned you that this would happen," the first Chaser said tiredly. "Will you wait until people begin to disappear? Entire worlds?"

"What're you talking about?" Sora yelled back, irritated at being ignored.

"Riku, what _are_ those things?" Kairi asked.

Riku gritted his teeth. "Chasers. I don't know exactly _what_ that means, but..."

"_Must_ we take all eternity to say something so simple?" the taller Chaser groaned, leaning on its Keyblade. "No more of this foolishness. Riku must travel back to the past and become Xehanort. If he doesn't, all of the worlds will collapse and all of their inhabitants will disappear."

The first Chaser seemed annoyed at its partner. "I would thank you not to jeopardize our task with your lack of finesse."

The shock of such 'lack of finesse' stunned the six into silence. Sora was the first to break it. "What do you mean, 'become Xehanort'? Are you saying that Riku is Xehanort? That's impossible! We destroyed his Heartless and his Nobody!"

"And Riku helped do it, too! He couldn'ta been in two places at once," Goofy added.

The first Chaser seemed only to be talking to Riku. "As I said before, it is a time paradox. You must go back in time to become him."

"Go back in time? But that's—"

"You've done it before, have you not?"

Sora fell silent at that. Riku remembered the special door Merlin had made to the distant past; to before Disney Castle was built and Mickey was crowned king. _They want me to do that again...and stay in the past._

Kairi stepped forward. "But that can't be right. Even if Riku _did_ go back to the past, he couldn't be Xehanort. He's nothing like him!"

"Why do you think Xehanort's Heartless latched onto your heart so easily?" the first Chaser questioned. "Why was he so hard to shake away? Why do you think you assumed his form so readily when using darkness? Because you are he."

The larger Chaser pointed at Riku. "Haven't you noticed the similarities?"

And suddenly, the little quirks that seemed irrelevant about Riku became obvious to them. He had grown taller, almost to Xehanort's height. His face had become slightly narrower. His bangs had grown more ordered, while the hair in back now stuck up behind his ears. The bluish tint had even begun to fade, giving him a more distinguished look.

Riku suddenly wondered if he'd ever be able to look in the mirror again, and the thought felt familiar.

"That...that doesn't mean anything!" Sora shot back, although his voice faltered.

"It means everything," the first Chaser replied.

Sora was becoming angry now. "How would _you_ know who Riku will or won't become? How do you know all of this, anyway?"

"We are from all times, and have seen all times."

"We know past, present and future."

"And we guard it from anomalies that would destroy it." The tall Chaser pointed at Riku. "Such as you."

The sense of dread and despair turned to anger in Riku. "You believe all of our memories are being lost because of _me_?"

"Because of the paradox, time is unraveling," the Chaser explained. "Xehanort sets everything into motion. He opens the door to his world; sends the Princess of Heart to your islands. Without him, the walls never break down, and the Keyblade never chooses its wielder. Nothing and no one exists as it does now."

The tallest Chaser finished, "So there is no choice for you. Either you go back to the past and satisfy the paradox, or you stay here, and time crumbles."

_Leave my friends, my whole life, and become Xehanort...or complete oblivion._ To Riku, the two options didn't seem all that different. He felt Sora, Kairi, Mickey, Donald and Goofy close by, still with him, still loving him after so much pain and such long years. Riku exhaled, and shut his eyes. "No. I can't leave my friends. I just _can't_."

There was a long silence, so stark that even the wind seemed muted. The main Chaser hefted its Keyblade into an attack stance. "Then we take you by force."

Riku was about to draw his own weapon, when he suddenly found five bodies between himself and the Chasers. "You'll have to go through _us_ if you want Riku!" Sora challenged.

"We do not want to do this."

In a flash, all three Chasers attacked. They were met by six weapons, and the fight instantly turned into all-out melee.

Riku found himself guarding against the tallest Chaser, at first afraid that he would be overpowered as before. But Sora charged in from the side, knocking his opponent off-balance. Together, they set in on the tallest one, parrying and hacking against his fast strikes with echoes of metal on metal. Donald, Goofy and the King kept the other two at bay with a barrage of weapon strikes and thunder spells. Since Kairi's swordsman skills were still mediocre in comparison, she kept busy healing her friends and tossing them ethers when needed.

The Chasers countered by teleporting from location to location, swinging at them with incredible speed considering their huge weapons. But with five backing him up, Riku knew he was more than a match for his enemies. They hadn't spent years fighting Heartless together for nothing.

Even with their skills combined, the six were still on the defensive, at best. So it came as a surprise when Sora finally landed a hit on the main Chaser. Even more shocking, what should have been nothing more than a simple cut or bruise seemed to have caused serious damage.

The Chaser staggered out of the fight, clutching at its injured side and cursing under its breath. The other two ran to its side, still baring their weapons. The sight almost confused Riku. For how formidable they looked and how powerful their attacks were, any breeches in their armor seemed to pose a grave danger.

"Fighting us is foolish!" the female Chaser declared. "If Riku does not become Xehanort, the time paradox will fold in on itself, and you will _all_ be destroyed!"

The King responded, "Then we'll find another way to fix things!"

"But Riku's our friend, and we're not gonna let you take him from us!" Sora finished.

The injured Chaser pointed an accusing finger at Riku. "This will be on your hands."

All three Chasers disappeared in an instant, and didn't come back. When they realized they were alone again, celebration finally broke out. "Ha, _that_ showed 'em!" Donald quacked, giving a little victory hop.

"You can't possibly turn into Xehanort," Sora added, almost trying to convince himself. "Whatever those guys were, they can't be right. It's just stupid!"

"But didn't those weapons look like Keyblades? Where could they have gotten those?" Goofy wondered.

"A relic of forgotten years..." Riku echoed under his breath.

King Mickey waved a hand at them. "C'mon, guys. We better get back to the ship before they come back."

As they tread back down the dirt path to the gummi ship, Riku kept his head low. Somehow, he couldn't meet his friends' faces. Since Sora was still busy spouting off how stupid the Chasers would have to be to make such accusations, Kairi was the first to notice. "Riku, are you okay?"

_I'm supposed to go back in time and become the one person I hate the most. I'm supposed to leave all my friends and family and turn into a monster that tries to destroy the worlds. And if I don't, I'll end up destroying the worlds anyway. How can I _possibly_ be okay?_

"Yeah, I'm fine."

**TOCK**

"Well, so much for that..."Braig sighed, picking up a stone and skipping it across the fountain's rippled surface. It jumped twice before sinking to the bottom.

"Now, Master Ansem didn't _explicitly_ say we needed to stop the experiments," Ienzo said, looking around at the other apprentices for confirmation. They stared at the fountain Braig sat at, as if expecting it to provide answers. All except Xehanort, who stood in the shade of a sprawling oak tree. The sun was out in force today, and he hated being out where its heat and warmth stuck to him.

Even rolled his eyes. "He said that we were to cease using live subjects for experiments on the heart. All of our research thusfar has been from the library. We can't _go_ any further unless we test our theories. So he may as well have told us to stop for good."

Elaeus groaned, scratching at his spiky red hair. "And I believe we were so close to making a real breakthrough."

"It just doesn't make any sense," Ienzo persisted, gesturing with his hands and walking in a tight circle as he always did when puzzled. "It was Master Ansem who said we should test those theories in the first place! _He_ was the first one to try it on Xehanort! Why would he retract on that now?"

At the mention of Xehanort's name, all eyes turned to look at him. He just smirked. "It was that King that came from another world. Master Ansem was so fascinated with him that he does whatever he says."

Dilan began, "But if that King was right about the worlds disappearing..."

Ienzo would not be silenced. "What about us? _We're_ his apprentices! We've studied with him for years. Since when does the opinion of an outsider matter more than ours?"

Xehanort braved leaving the shade to walk closer to the others. "Exactly. We have always helped Master Ansem with his research. But he made this decision independently of us."

He had their agreement. "Hardly fair of him!"

"We should have had a say!"

"Besides, if anything, the experiments done so far have shown that darkness makes the heart stronger."

Xehanort's grin widened. Wasn't he living proof of that? The darkness channeled into him had only helped. His latent abilities were stronger; his thinking was sharper. It even made him more physically fit.

Most importantly, it had put an end to the nightmares.

"But what can we do about it?" Braig asked.

Just the question Xehanort wanted to hear. "It's simple, really. We continue our research without him."

The other apprentices stared at him in shock, leaving only birdsong and the fountain's babble to fill the silence. "I'm not so sure that's wise," Elaeus finally ventured.

"Is it wiser to seek answers that may benefit all, or to leave the questions be because of fear?" he asked. Elaeus fell silent.

Xehanort stood before the others, his reflection glinting in the fountain. He continued, "It is not only wise for us to do so. It is our _duty_. How can we call ourselves scientists and yet be swayed by every naysayer that comes along and presumes to know what people really need? We have learned all this so that we may help others!"

The other five apprentices seemed enthralled at his words. _Good. Because all of you will never believe that this is for me. For _my_ answers, _my _benefit._

"Then we should continue!"

"It _is_ our duty as scientists!"

Elaeus remained ever pragmatic. "Where will we get the necessary tools and equipment? Master Ansem will surely notice if we continue our experiments using his workspace."

"We'll make our own workspace," Even said, sounding delighted at the idea. "Our own equipment and facilities! We'll just need to hide it somehow."

Dilan picked up on the idea. "Under the castle, or in the basements, where Xehanort found the door. Civilians never come there, and there will be no shortage of those darkness creatures."

"I thought we agreed on calling them Heartless," Braig butted in.

Even dismissed him with a wave. "It's beside the point. We will have to build a massive laboratory if we are to accomplish what we're proposing. And if we are too discreet, Master Ansem will become suspicious."

"Xehanort can just ask him to build an extended laboratory. He'll listen to him," Dilan said.

"I'm afraid he may not," the white-haired man, sighed, shaking his head. "Master Ansem and I have been having...disputes recently. He may take such a request the wrong way from me."

"Then I'll do it," Ienzo said proudly. "Master Ansem trusts me, and listens to practically anything I ask."

"Only because you're just as much of a teacher's pet as Xehanort," Braig teased. Ienzo drew back as if to shove the taller man into the fountain, but Braig stopped him with a well-aimed splash. This prompted laughter from Elaeus, who tried to pick up Ienzo and dunk him into the fountain.

Xehanort's loud throat-clearing cut their brawl short. "Gentlemen. Are we going to waste all day here?"

They straightened up immediately, but he still saw the disappointment hiding in their faces. The sight pleased him in some odd way. He never had been able to stand the others being playful and goofing off for too long. "Let's get to work."

"Yes," Even said first, and started back up towards the castle. He mumbled to himself; probably making mental notes. Ienzo was right behind, with a defeated Elaeus in tow. Before the other two left, Braig gave him a smirk and a wink.

"Way to go, man. We never could've come this far without you."

And then all of them had started back to the castle. Xehanort smiled to himself...of course they hadn't gotten this far without him. He was the crux of everything. _I should be. I deserve to be._

Before leaving, he glanced back at the rippling fountain. His own reflection stared back at him: narrow face, long white hair that stuck up behind his ears, and orange eyes that hadn't always been that color. _Just another just another just another—_

He seethed, picked up a rock, and threw it violently at the fountain's surface. The water splashed and rippled, erasing his face. Satisfied, he stormed up after the others.

He always hated looking at his own reflection.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	6. The Sixth Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter Six – THE SIXTH HOUR

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**TICK**

_I can't leave my friends. I just can't_.

Riku was starting to wonder if he really meant it.

Upon returning to Radiant Garden, they had spent the last five days trying to piece together Vexen's notes. But none of them were really scientists, and there was no one on that world that really met the criteria, either. Riku could understand why: the few elders that had survived the destruction of their world were suspicious of anything steeped too heavily in science. All of the other world inhabitants were too young for such knowledge, and had no one to teach them. The only ones who were able to even operate the computer were the Restoration Committee, and they were mostly helped along by Tron being so user-friendly.

And after days of interpretation and debating, they had still turned up very little. Most of the notes they found were about the process of constructing his replica, or comments on Marluxia's experiments. The most they found on memories was in relation to the heart. _Memories are the support of the heart; its chains. Without them, the heart collapses. With only a select few left intact, the heart is weak and susceptible to influence by darkness._

"This is all stuff we already know!" Sora groaned for the umpteenth time on their latest session. Five days later, Riku could tell Sora was about ready to throw in the towel. He never had been one for long study periods.

The strain was getting to all of them. "Sora, we're just gonna waste energy if we keep complaining. We need to keep at it," Kairi said, sounding exasperated.

Sora slumped back down into his seat, and the Radiant Garden library seemed to sigh with them. He continued, "I mean, we already _know_ what's causing our memories to disappear, we just need a way to fix it."

"It's because of me," Riku said dully. _Always because of me. _

"Riku..." Kairi sounded like she was about to chide him, but her voice softened to sympathy. As much as Sora completely denied the Chasers, Riku knew how he really felt. _We're running out of time._

The creak of opening library doors interrupted their silence. Aerith rushed in, looking much more worried than usual. "Sora, it's Chip and Dale. You and Donald and Goofy need to come to the gummi terminal right away."

"Did somebody else disappear?" Donald blurted out.

Sora stared at his friend with an expression of shocked exasperation. "_Donald!_"

The duck, realizing what he'd let slip, clamped his hands over his beak. Riku glanced between the two before suddenly getting to his feet. "What do you _mean_, 'somebody else disappear'?"

The others exchanged nervous looks. "Riku, we..."

His voice rose. "People have been disappearing and _you didn't tell me_?"

Kairi said, "Riku, we didn't want you to worry. We weren't sure what it meant—"

"It means that time paradox is erasing everything! It means _I'm_ destroying all the worlds!" he yelled.

His friends tried to argue, but found nothing to say. Aerith spoke up again. "In any case, Sora, you'd better get over to the terminal."

Sora gave him an apologetic glance before heading out of the library. The rest sent him similar looks before following him out. He exhaled, trying to unclench his fist and calm himself. _Kairi's right. Getting pointlessly angry won't help. Let's just figure this out._ He straightened himself, and headed after them.

------

A brisk trip across the castle grounds brought them to the gummi terminal, where they could communicate with the gummi engineers back at Disney Castle. Cid was waiting for them, as he usually spent his time arguing with the two chipmunks. As they entered, he tossed aside his headset and brought the conversation up on the viewscreen, shaking his head. "Darn squirrels've been jabberin' my ear off for the last ten minutes! I can't get 'em to calm down!"

"For the last time, they're not squirrels!" Donald yelled. Sora, however, turned his attention to the two chipmunks on the viewscreen.

"Sora, it's horrible!"

"It's terrible! It's catastrophic!"

"But what is it?" Sora insisted.

Chip pointed at the interspace map between him and Dale, still hopping up and down. "It's Halloween Town! We were checking the maps this morning, and it's gone!"

Riku felt his heart still at the news. Sora just lurched forward, his eyes wide. "_Gone?_ What do you mean, it's gone?"

"It just disappeared off the map! We tried gettin' in contact with them through the Halloween Town terminal, but there's no answer," Dale squeaked.

"But that can't be! We locked that world. There haven't been Heartless there in years!" Sora's shock wilted down into sadness. "Jack...Sally...all my friends..."

Any attempts to calm himself immediately crumbled into nothing. Riku squeezed his eyes shut until they hurt, and stormed out of the terminal to the adjoining gummi hangar. He didn't want to hear Chip and Dale's frantic warnings, or Cid's grumblings, or Donald and Goofy cheering up Sora. Not when he knew who was to blame for this. _This is on your hands. Your hands. Your hands._

He reached those hands up and clenched at his hair, that stupid hair that was turning white and sticking up in all the wrong places like _Xehanort's_ hair. That wrong hair that was framing his face too narrow; his voice too deep now for mere coincidence. He felt like he was going mad. _Not him, no, anything but him, I can't become him all over again..._

"Riku."

He looked up to see Kairi standing there, her deep blue eyes worried. Whether it was for the disappearing world or him or both, he wasn't sure. He realized that he was panting, and that his hair was mussed from where he'd pulled it. "I don't want to be Xehanort," he said weakly.

"You won't, just—"

Sora stepped out of the terminal to join Kairi, and somehow seeing them both was too much for him. He turned and strode across the hangar platform, back into the lush gardens that ringed the town's perimeter. He could hear Sora and Kairi's footsteps following him, and tried to speed up. But the gardens always seemed to make travelers slow down, and he eventually stopped by a waterfall pool, where his friends caught up with him.

"Listen, Riku!" Sora said, almost gasping for breath. "We'll find a way to bring Halloween Town back. And _everyone_ that's disappeared. If we did it once, we can do it again."

Riku responded without turning around. "Yeah. As soon as I leave, everything should go back to normal."

Kairi began, "You won't leave, Riku! We'll find another way—"

"_What_ other way?" Riku interrupted her, now facing them. "We've gone through Vexen's notes for almost a week. By the time we get around to figuring out what to do, all of the worlds will be _gone_. And then what next? Will this world disappear, too? We don't have _time_ to think of other solutions! We could be gone in the blink of an eye!"

Kairi's voice was starting to match Riku's desperate yelling. "Do you just expect to leave and for us to live out the rest of our lives _without_ you?"

Riku wanted to grab her up and shake her; her and Sora both. He could feel the despair churning in his insides, turning to darkness. "I expect you to _live_. What if you disappear? What if Donald or Goofy disappear? What if all of us walk back to that hangar right now and discover the King is just gone? I couldn't live with myself!" He could taste the darkness now. "I can _never_ live with myself."

The anger spread to Sora as well. "How could you want to leave us alone and become Xehanort? Just because some Chasers say you have no choice?"

With that, the darkness in him found voice, and he almost grabbed Sora. "You think I _want_ this? You think I _want_ to become the one person I hate the most? You think I _want_ to just waltz off and turn into my own worst enemy just so I can destroy myself over and over and over?"

Riku realized he'd gone too far, as Sora and Kairi were backing away from him, eyes wide. But it was not for the reason he thought. "R-Riku...your eyes!"

He stopped, and touched carefully at his face. Suddenly panicked, he spun around and stared into his reflection in the waterfall.

_No. Oh no._

His once-green eyes were now a brilliant orange.

**TOCK**

Xehanort couldn't help but be surprised. He scolded himself for staring, but did so anyway. After all, the people all looked the same in Radiant Garden, and had always looked the same. No one had ever seen a person that looked more like a giant mouse than a human.

So he felt almost intimidated when the visitor caught his eye, and walked over to him. His master followed, looking excited for the first time in months.

"Xehanort, this is His Majesty, King Mickey. Your Majesty, my first apprentice, Xehanort," Ansem introduced them.

The King extended a large, gloved hand. "Nice to meet you, Xehanort!"

"The pleasure's all mine, Your Majesty." He took the offered hand and shook. The handshake was warm and friendly, and felt like something he wasn't supposed to remember. "I trust you're enjoying your stay in Radiant Garden?"

"Gosh, yes, it's beautiful!" the King replied. His voice was oddly high in a way that seemed perfect for talking to children. It almost made his own smile genuine.

Xehanort straightened up so that he was speaking to his teacher again. "Master Ansem, if you can, I'd like to go over the results of my latest experiment with you—"

"Not now, Xehanort," Ansem replied. "The King and I have a lot of matters we need to discuss."

He strained to keep the smile on his face. "Yes. Of course. I'm sure there's much to talk about between you two."

"See ya around!" the King waved, and followed his master down to the main office. They certainly looked like an odd pair: one short with bright clothes and round ears, and the other tall and distinguished in his scarf and robes.

He sighed and shook his head. _Perhaps this new visitor will still be beneficial to me._

------

But one week later, it didn't seem that way. His notes hadn't been looked at, and he was getting antsy with new proposals and ideas. _We could try infusing darkness into more living subjects. We could find volunteers for it. We could investigate the darkness from beyond that door to the heart. Maybe the King's world has a heart, too. Maybe all the worlds out there have hearts. And maybe there's a heart to encompass all the worlds. If we could just investigate, we would know!_

He paced along the carpeted hallway, his mind rushing with thoughts. The other apprentices were out still testing how the King's gummi ship worked, but he couldn't focus on that. He was tired of being left out of the loop on so many new developments.

Straightening his collar, he knocked on his master's door and then entered with a slight bow. As he did, the King turned to face him. Without asking if he was interrupting, he began. "Master Ansem, regarding the experiment I presented the other day...with your permission, I'd like to proceed—"

His master suddenly stood, slamming his hand on the wide oak table. "I forbid it! Forget this talk of doors, and the heart of all worlds. That place must not be defiled!"

Despite the uncharacteristic outburst, he still persisted. "But, Master Ansem! I've been thinking..."

Ansem cut him short with just a shake of his head. "Xehanort, those thoughts are best forgotten."

Xehanort made a move as if to protest, but then he felt the King's eyes on him. At first he thought he was just embarrassed to be shot down in the presence of their unusual guest. But there was more to it...he felt this King knew him and all his secrets, that something vital was being withheld from him. He hated the feeling.

Bowing curtly, he turned and stepped back into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

Once outside, he let the fury in him leak through. He clenched his fists and grabbed at his collar as if to tear it off. Something cold and deep burned inside him, fueling his limbs, making his mind race.

_Must not be _defiled?_ Does he take me to be some dirt-handed common man? To spoil his prize? The gall of him! After all I've done!_

His feet commanded movement, and he stormed down the hall, growing angrier with every step. The rational part of him kept trying to chastise the rage that burned, saying that it wasn't justified. But it still persisted: _I hate him! I hate him and his King! He tears me down! He holds me back! He hinders me because he fears me! He fears what I can do! And I hate him for it!_

The rational part finally poked a hole in his mantra. _But why do you hate him?_

It came to him, and he repeated Ansem's words aloud. "Those thoughts are best forgotten."

_That_ was it. His master had told him to forget. Just the word alone seemed to sting in the back of his throat. It was why he had worked so hard under his tutelage. He had forgotten his life; he had no past and no future. So there was only this study, this darkness in his heart to lead him to his memories. _Ansem promised me we would discover my past together. And now he tells me to forget all over again?_

He felt betrayed. Months, nearly years spent together had been undone by a visitor from another world. Or had Ansem always been harboring these doubts, and finally spoke his mind? Had he been betrayed since the beginning?

He wasn't sure, but he did know one thing: he would not be swayed by such words anymore. _Ansem forbids it? Then I won't use his authority. I'll use _my _authority. I'll continue the experiments without him. _

The scowl on his face twisted into a smile. There must always come a day where the student surpassed the teacher, after all.

Xehanort redirected the rage seething in his heart towards much more productive means. He knew he didn't need Ansem's guidance anymore, but he would not get very far without assistance, either.

His strides took him to the castle balcony, and he stepped outside, squinting in the sun. Below, the King's gummi ship was parked on the grass, bright red and yellow against soft green. The other five apprentices were seated around the ship, taking a break from their studies. It was exhaustive trying to reverse-engineer new technology.

_Yes. These five will listen. _They respected him, admired him, maybe even feared him as Ansem the Wise did. But he could use their fear to his advantage. And best of all, they would not be useless. Ansem only took the best and the brightest up for apprenticeship.

Smiling even more, he turned and walked back into the hallway. He would have to prepare very carefully if they were to be as loyal as he wanted.

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	7. The Seventh Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Seven – THE SEVENTH HOUR

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**TICK**

When Riku awoke the next morning, he tried not to look in the mirror again. He didn't want to look. But he did so anyway, and discovered his eyes had gone back to their usual green sometime during the night. It elicited little more than a sigh of relief from him. After all, his mind was already made up.

Breakfast and conversation with his friends seemed to pass by in a blur. He remembered the delight from Sora and Kairi that his eyes had returned to normal; that he would be all right after all. He held his smiles as best as he could and avoided any uncomfortable queries with ease.

But the moment he was free, he quit the castle and headed down to Merlin's home in the burrow. Or rather, it was his "summer home" as his real one was in Disney Castle, but he spent so much time in Radiant Garden it might as well be his permanent residence. Trying to appear as casual as possible, he knocked on the front door.

The wizard opened up, and greeted him with a nervous chuckle. "Ah, Riku, good day! Won't you come in?" He took the invitation, and strolled into the cozy hovel. "Now, what brings you around to my neck of the woods, hm?"

Riku decided to get straight to the point. "I need you to make another door to the past. Like you did for Sora, Donald and Goofy back in Disney Castle."

Merlin almost closed the door on his foot he was so startled. "W-What's that? A door to the past? What would you need it for?"

He bit his lip, then walked over to the stove and put the kettle on, acting as if he were staying long enough for tea. "We think it might help us stop the memory loss and disappearances."

The wizard appeared flustered. "Now look here, young man! Doors to the past and future are not to be trifled with. Just you _being_ in the past can create all kinds of anomalies and glitches in time itself—"

"We've talked it over, and decided it's necessary," Riku stopped his rambling. "We won't disrupt time too much, we promise. We're just fixing things."

Merlin studied Riku closely, and he hoped his real intentions didn't show through. "If it was this important, I think I would've heard about it from Sora."

"He'll fill you in on the details later. We really need to make this fast; time's of the essence," he insisted.

His authoritative voice finally made the old wizard cave, although grudgingly. "Fine. Now, where and when exactly do you need this door to be? I can't just conjure it up anywhere, you know. Wherever the door is set is where you'll end up in the past. It could lead to a rather nasty situation."

Riku had already considered all this. _I need to go back to before Kairi came to our islands, so almost twenty years. And as for the place...wherever Sora and Kairi won't find me._

"We need to go way outside the town, almost to the edge of the world. And eighteen years into the past."

Merlin considered this. "Hmm, well, yes, eighteen years shouldn't be _that_ much of a problem. I was still at Disney Castle then. That was back in the days when gummis were first discovered you see, and—"

He headed for the door. "I'm sure you can tell me more on the way."

"Now just a moment, Riku. We'll take a shortcut." The wizard pulled out a wand and gave it a wave, and Riku suddenly found his vision obscured by thick blue clouds. When the haze cleared, he saw that they were no longer in the burrow. Instead, what looked like fields of endless grass stretched before them. Radiant Garden was just a smudge in the distance; at least half a day's walk away.

"Is this the place?" Merlin asked him once he recovered his bearings.

"Yeah, this is perfect."

"Right then." Merlin rolled up his long sleeves, made a series of strange motions with his hands, and a door materialized on the grass before them. It was a simple door with two handles and a symbol above it that he didn't understand.

"That should do the trick. Now, you say this won't take a moment, yes?" Merlin asked, stroking his long beard.

"Yeah." Riku paused. "Say, did you leave the kettle on?"

Merlin's glasses nearly flew off his nose in a panic. "Oh goodness gracious me, the tea! That kettle hates me enough as it is! Now you just wait here, I'll be right back." And in a puff of magic smoke, he was gone.

For a moment, Riku just smiled at how easily he'd gotten what he needed. All he had to do was go through the door and lock it with his Keyblade. His tracks would be covered, and by the time Sora and Kairi figured it out, he'd be long gone.

But then the stillness got to him. There was just himself, the fields, and the door. The sun was high in the sky and the weather around him was perfect. He felt sick to this stomach.

_Just go through the door. Get it done. You have no choice. _

He stepped forward, and set his hands on the handles. The door felt heavy and final, and he found he couldn't muster the strength to open it. He tried to think of anything that would move his limbs: the look on Sora's face when he learned Halloween Town was gone. The horror in Kairi's eyes when his own had turned orange.

But that just made him think of his friends, and his rigor got worse. _I can't even say goodbye. If I say goodbye, I'll never be able to leave. It's best if I just disappear. Disappear so that nothing else will._

He still didn't move. He didn't even realize his arms were shaking until he removed one from the door to rub a tear out of his eye. The idea of crying suddenly infuriated him, and he lurched forward and pulled the door open a crack. He stopped as he felt a hot and harsh wind hit his face. Whatever was in the past wasn't like the serene valley here.

His jaw set, and he summoned strength back to his arms. This was it. _I became Xehanort to save my friends once. I can do it again._

"Riku!"

All of his built-up strength came crashing down at the sound of Kairi's voice. He turned, and saw her running over the grass towards him. A gummi ship hovered just overhead; he'd been so absorbed in the door he hadn't even heard it approach. She slowed her pace as she came up to him, gasping for breath. "Heard from Leon...you had left..."

"My mind's made up," Riku said in a voice that sounded anything but. "The Chasers were right. I have to go back and fix things before it gets any worse. I have to, for you guys."

"Riku, listen to me, you—"

"Don't try to stop me," he almost shouted, almost threatened. "There's a reason I didn't say goodbye."

She was coming closer now. "—Don't have to go, just—"

He shut his eyes, feeling the wet between his lids and the heat from the door. It was better than looking at her. "We went over this, I _do_ have to! So don't...don't!—"

Seconds away from wrenching the door open fully, she put a hand on his shoulder, and he could go no further. He turned to look at her, thinking he would see desperation in her eyes, but instead he saw hope.

"Riku. We went over the notes again. We think we may have another way."

**TOCK**

The hand on his shoulder felt like a shock, setting his nerves alight. For an instant, his mind panicked. _I'm not just another I'm me I'm everything I'm not—_

"Xehanort. The test is done."

He opened his eyes, and the bright laboratory came rushing back in lights and colors. There were the canisters, the computer terminal, the piles of books. Ienzo and Even were still at the table, taking notes. And on his left, Ansem's warm yet concerned smile came into his view. "How do you feel?"

It took a moment for him to process. He could feel his heart beating soundly inside him, but tasted something odd in his mouth and the tips of his fingers felt tingly. Not that he would share inconsequential side effects with anyone. If Ansem grew too concerned, the tests might stop, and then he'd never get the darkness he needed.

"I feel fine. I feel great!" he said, demonstrating by flexing his arms and walking around the table. He earned a few amused smirks from the other two apprentices. "It gets easier every time."

"It seems once again, you are physically well," Ansem said. "But what about your mind? Have any of your memories returned to you?"

Xehanort considered this. He searched the back of his mind for any glint of his past...a smell, a sound, a name...but came up empty once again. "No, I can't remember anything."

Ansem sighed, treading towards the window. "I wonder if these experiments are doing any good after all."

"No, it is helping!" Xehanort insisted. "My mind feels clearer now. There is less of a haze. I am certain we're making progress, and that with continued tests we'll pull out real results."

His master turned back to face him. "It does seem to be producing encouraging reactions. But I believe you are a special case, Xehanort. And I worry about the effect of so much darkness in your heart."

Xehanort smirked. "Are you still worried I'll turn into one of those dark creatures we found? I keep telling you, I'm fine. Everything's intact up here," he said, tapping the side of his head.

"What little there is to be intact," Ienzo mumbled under his breath.

Xehanort heard it. With a smooth flick of his wrist, he sent Ienzo's pen off the desk and onto the floor...while standing across the room. Ienzo picked up his lost pen, looking nervous under his long bangs. He never showed off his abilities blatantly; it was always more fun to make them wonder.

"Regardless, I still think we should take these tests in a new direction," Ansem continued, his hands folded behind his back and his brow creased with worry.

Even spoke up. "Master Ansem, if I may: I believe we should work more with the door Xehanort found beneath the castle. After all, he was able to open it, and without any kind of key. I believe it may have a connection to his memories."

He couldn't have said it better himself, and he was glad someone else had made the suggestion. Ansem, however, still seemed uneasy. "Yes, it's true he was able to open the door. But that entire area is still unstable, and it will require all the caution we have to ensure no one gets hurt."

Shot down once again, although it didn't surprise him. He knew he could wait to find the answers he needed, although he wasn't sure how much longer he could be patient. "When should we do the next test?"

"We should be able to proceed again tomorrow, as long as you are feeling well enough," Ansem replied.

"I will be."

"Then you can discuss the results with Even and Ienzo, and I'll put most of this away." His master began to undo the plugs and wires attached to the console he'd just been hooked up to. Taking that as their cue to leave, the other apprentices gathered up their books and papers and followed Xehanort out of the laboratory.

He smiled as the other two struggled to keep pace with his long strides. Even seemed absorbed in his notes, as usual, while Ienzo wanted to talk. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were looking forward to these tests."

"Why shouldn't I? They're helping me get back my memories. That's why I'm here in the first place."

"I meant enjoying the tests themselves," Ienzo corrected. "I've noticed you get this look on your face every time he throws the switch."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Like a big, stupid grin." Ienzo tried to demonstrate by rolling his eyes back and spreading a wide and dumb-looking smile across his face. Xehanort just sneered at it.

"Probably just a natural body reflex," Even commented, surprising them both with the fact he'd been listening in the first place. "And back on the subject, I'm starting to believe my hypothesis was wrong."

"That memories are connected with knowledge?"

"Precisely. Since we started the tests, Xehanort's learning abilities have increased almost tenfold. But his memories have remained lost." He waved his notes at them as if it would further prove his point. "I thought they rested exclusively in the mind, but it seems more like they're a support for the heart. Or rather, they act as a bridge between the heart and the mind."

Xehanort mused over the thought. "And having no memories is like having a broken bridge within you."

"No wonder you're so cracked in the head," Ienzo joked again.

The thought fascinated Xehanort, and the image of the door came to his mind again. _No wonder indeed. _

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	8. The Eighth Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter Eight – THE EIGHTH HOUR

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**TICK**

"I don't like this. Something about it seems wrong."

Sora replied with a tad bit of exasperation. "Come on, Riku. We went over this. It's the best shot we've got."

Riku pulled at his coat sleeves. "I know. I just...I don't like being back here is all."

'Back here' happened to be Castle Oblivion. All six had returned to the world, thankful that it was still present, but less thankful to be exploring its depths once again. The laboratory basements were still just as cold, but now a bit of unusual heat staved off the chill. King Mickey and Donald kept a watchful eye on their carefully-prepared spell: a ring of fire slowly circling the ice pillar Vexen was frozen in. The enchanted flames were designed to burn slowly, so that the ice would melt at a steady pace and not harm the man trapped inside.

They were letting Vexen out after all.

Just that fact alone kept the group pretty silent, let alone the consequences such actions could bring upon them. Riku was especially restless: he moved from walking back and forth across the room to sitting and watching the fires work, but couldn't feel satisfied either way. No matter what he did, melting the ice pillar would take too long and not long enough.

However, the ice that encased Vexen was old and brittle, and started to chip off in chunks rather than actually melt. The sounds of the cracking ice prison eventually caught the attention of everyone present, and even Donald and the King had to move to avoid the falling ice. The image of Vexen was becoming clearer and clearer.

Kairi finally cried, "I think I saw him move!"

The ice pillar started to crumble at an alarming rate, almost shaking. Sora and Riku jumped to their feet, and Riku knew they both had hands mentally on their Keyblades. All six stumbled back as the Vexen within suddenly came to life, shuddering as the remaining ice fell from his body.

He stepped out of the circle of ice nonchalantly, brushing the leftover frost off his sleeves as if he'd merely been awoken from a quick nap. Then he caught sight of them, and the indifference turned to a frown. He cast his eyes around the rest of the ruined laboratory, and the frown deepened into a scowl. "Oh, dear."

The reaction confused Riku, but Sora was the first to reply to it. "Are you Vexen from Organization XIII?"

Vexen gave him a look of sincere distaste. "Merely a replica of Vexen. Created and designed to carry on his work in the event he believed an untimely demise was nearby." He turned away from Sora's questioning gaze. "I can only surmise that, being you are the ones that have awoken me, Vexen met his untimely demise suddenly and unexpectedly."

"Vexen's gone. All of the Organization were destroyed many years ago," Sora said firmly.

"I'm not _stupid_, Key-bearer," the Vexen replica spat. "I have eyes. I can see you're years older than the memories Vexen last left to me."

This piqued Riku's interest. "You said you have all of Vexen's memories? Do you have all of his knowledge, too?"

Vexen began to sift through the equipment left around the lab, seeming to ignore the other six in the room. "It would be rather pointless for Vexen to create a replica intended to carry on his research and then not give it the necessary knowledge. Honestly. I do wonder how the Organization was defeated by the likes of imbeciles like you."

"Who're you callin' imbeciles?" Donald sputtered.

For once, Sora seemed more concerned with getting to the point. "Listen, Vexen...replica. We need something from you."

"I'm sure you do," Vexen grumbled, stacking a pile of broken test tubes to the side of his desk.

Riku knew what was coming, but still had to swallow hard at Sora's next statement. "We need you to make another replica of Riku."

This seemed to finally catch Vexen's attention. He turned to face them again with an all-too-sinister smile. "A replica?"

Sora's voice sounded more defeated. "Yeah. A replica that's exactly like Riku, with his memories and everything."

Vexen walked up to Riku, looking at him with patronizing eyes. Riku suddenly felt he was being stared down upon, despite being taller than the man, and he resisted the urge to pull out his Keyblade. "I don't recall that last experiment ending so well. I can't _imagine_ what would compel you to try it again."

Riku glared back at him. "That's not important to you. All that matters is that it gets done."

Vexen backed off from the gaze, looking only slightly intimidated. "The scared little boy has become a man, I see." He wandered back over to his desk and fiddled with the frost-covered instruments out of nonexistent habit. "Of course, why should I bother to help you? What's in it for me?"

Goofy finally spoke up. "If we don't get another Riku to fix the time paradox, all the worlds will disappear!"

"And that means you'll disappear too," Sora added.

Vexen gave a curt laugh. "Is that supposed to be incentive? I'm nothing but the replica of a Nobody, the remains of a cast-off shell. I have no ties to this world or any world out there. The Organization is gone. Why does it matter whether I exist or not?"

Riku swallowed back something hard in his throat. He was afraid this would happen, even more so than Vexen attacking them. But Sora persisted. "Well then, what do you want in return?"

The chilly academic's replica shot them a cold smile. "I was created for one purpose: to continue Vexen's research. You must allow me to continue and experiment with hearts and memories, unhindered."

At first the request didn't sound unreasonable. But then Kairi finally caught on. "Wait, but...not experiment on real people!"

"Book studies will be useless without _testing_ my theories," he spat back.

The King looked especially distraught. "It was messin' around with the darkness in peoples' hearts that caused all the trouble in the first place."

"Would you rather have it that all the worlds and their inhabitants vanish?" Vexen sneered. "Or maybe, you would rather lose your friend than put innocents at risk?"

Sora was about to shout back, but Riku responded first. "This is _my_ choice. I don't want to do this...but I don't want the alternative, either. I'm taking the middle road."

Vexen raised one eyebrow at the statement. He glanced back to the other five as if to question whether this was true. Sora looked frustrated, but determined. "Okay, fine. But you can't leave this world! No going off to other worlds and messing them up."

"We'll see what my needs require," the academic sneered, and Riku grew angry because he knew Sora couldn't counter that.

"So you'll do it?" Goofy asked when Vexen said no more.

"I believe I will."

"We'll be here watching you the entire time to make sure you don't do anything weird to Riku," Sora warned.

"You gotta get going, the worlds are already starting to disappear!" Donald quacked.

Vexen sniffed in disdain at the magician. "If you expect me to do this quickly, then you'll have to stop gawking and assist me. You expect me to get any work done in this mess?" He gestured at the trashed laboratory.

Kairi sighed, and gave a tug on Sora's sleeve. "Come on. Let's clean up this place so that he can get started and we can get out of here faster."

As they got to work cleaning the broken bits of equipment from the tables, Vexen approached Riku for a closer look. He pressed a thumb against the side of his head as if measuring something, and Riku flinched at his icy touch. The Nobody replica grinned.

"Yes. I believe this will be quite enlightening."

**TOCK**

"They're all out here, Xehanort. I know Ienzo has been interested to meet you."

He nodded in response, barely paying attention to Ansem's words. After two whole weeks in Radiant Garden, he still felt compelled to burn every last detail of the world into his memory. The long hallways with their wide windows and drapes, the boxes of flowers cascading like waterfalls from the windowsills, the musty smell of books in the library...all of it felt new and not-new. He didn't necessarily like being around the people, but the world itself provided endless exploration.

Ansem swung the door open and led him out to the grand garden; a large veranda landscaped with trees, fountains, a huge pond and seemingly endless flowers. Five young men were spread around the patio, apparently engrossed in their studies. They looked up at Ansem's approach.

"Gentlemen, this is your new fellow apprentice, Xehanort." Ansem gestured towards him, and he looked towards the ground. "He'll be starting in his studies tomorrow, so I thought it would be best if you all introduced yourselves now."

The others nodded in understanding, and Ansem smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go prepare your permanent room." He walked back into the castle, leaving Xehanort with the five who were supposedly Ansem's apprentices.

He looked them down carefully. Like him, they wore white lab coats and ruffled collars. And while they all looked to be about his age, they varied greatly in size and shape. No one said anything for a moment, and he realized it would probably help more if he smiled.

The one nearest to him stood and gave him a cautious grin. He had long black hair tied back in a ponytail, and looking a little rough around the edges...perhaps raised in a poorer home. "My name's Braig."

The others took that as the cue to introduce themselves. The second was a large man, with broad shoulders, heavy eyebrows and sideburns. His dark brown hair was even longer than Braig's, and tied back in braids. He was currently occupied with trying to balance a long wooden staff on two fingers while walking along the edge of the fountain. "I'm Dilan."

The third was sprawled on a blanket on the grass with piles of books around him, enthralled in whatever he was reading. He looked to be the oldest, perhaps in his thirties, although it was hard to tell with his platinum blond hair hanging across his face. "Call me Even."

The next was seated by the fountain, reading a book as well, although he managed to look up and offer him a warm smile. Like Dilan, he was a huge man with broad shoulders and a sharp chin. His hair was much shorter, though, and bright red. He removed his small reading glasses and said simply, "Elaeus."

The last apprentice looked to be the youngest, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. He had abandoned his books to climb the nearest tree, and was currently making his way to his third branch. His hair was dark blue, and unkempt bangs hung in his face. At realizing it was his turn, he shot him a grin. "And I'm Ienzo."

"Braig, Dilan, Even, Elaeus and Ienzo," he repeated, nodding at each one in turn. They didn't seem too hard to remember.

Ienzo hopped down from the tree and approached him, looking curious. "And your name's Xehanort, right?"

Xehanort felt a little odd with this young man approaching him, especially with how short he was. But he nodded anyway. Ienzo scoffed. "That's a weird name."

Before Xehanort could even recover from the surprise of such a statement, Even barked back, "No more weird than 'Ienzo'! Mind your manners!"

Elaeus butted into the conversation. "Don't mind them. So, you'll be studying under Master Ansem as well?"

"He asked me if I was willing to study with him, and I said yes. He said he was conducting research on the heart, and that he could help me recover my memories."

"If anyone can do it, Master Ansem can," Dilan piped up, executing a quick turn on the fountain's railing and catching his staff in the other hand.

Braig didn't seem so easily impressed. "He just let you in like that, huh? Well then, you must be pretty intelligent, or have some incredible skill. Master Ansem doesn't let just _any_ old guy learn under him."

"So, where does your expertise lie?" Dilan asked, and demonstrated his own by spinning the staff behind his back.

This was why Xehanort hated talking to most people in Radiant Garden. They kept asking so many questions: (_Where are you from? Where did you grow up? Who are your parents? How old are you?_) But he could only answer them the same way. "I don't know."

Dilan asked, "Is there anything about yourself you _do_ know? Besides your own name."

Xehanort frowned. Even the name he wasn't sure about. He faced away from them, pretending to study the scenery. "I know I like fruits. I know I like night better than day." He paused, and pointed at the large pond in the middle of the garden. "I know I like that pond because it makes me think of the ocean."

"Maybe you like it 'cause you used to live by an ocean," Ienzo suggested with a shrug.

Even snorted. "Impossible. There's no ocean in this world. We've only read about them."

"Now who's the dumb one? I heard from Master Ansem that they found him in the desert. There's probably an ocean on the other side of it where he lived," Ienzo said.

Xehanort walked further into the garden, away from the apprentices. He hated being reminded of that, because it always brought back the nightmares. Realizing that they may have made a mistake, the other five left their books and caught up to him. "I _told_ you to keep quiet!" Even hissed to Ienzo under his breath.

"Hey man, sorry if we upset you back there," Braig apologized.

"It's nothing," Xehanort mumbled, focusing on the pond. "I'm just thinking."

"You know what _I'm_ thinking?" Dilan said in a low voice, more to the other apprentices than him. "I'm thinking if Xehanort is going to be studying with us, he should undergo some kind of initiation. You know, to _really_ work with Master Ansem's best and brightest."

Braig seemed to like this idea. "Especially since he got into this inner circle so easily."

Xehanort glanced between them, suddenly not liking where this was going. "What are you..."

Dilan grinned mischievously. "Since he seems to like the pond so much, I say we take him to see it close-up!"

"What—"

Then suddenly Dilan and Elaeus hooked their arms around his shoulders and began carrying him to the pond, with Braig leading the way. Even ran behind them yelling at them to stop this foolishness; they'd just ruin their coats, while Ienzo ran beside them and laughed.

But as they pulled him to the pond with the intention to throw him in, Xehanort's mind panicked. He knew this was just supposed to be fun for them, a joke; but he was suddenly fighting for his life. All he knew that two strong men were grabbing him, dragging him against his will—

"Stop it! Get off of me!"

--Pulling him away from everything, he couldn't fight them, couldn't even see their faces. And if he let them take him, it would end, end before it even began...

"I said GET OFF ME!"

Something boiled up inside him and exploded outwards, moving fast from just a feeling to physical force. Dilan and Elaeus were sent hurtling away from him as if they weighed nothing. The blast was so powerful that it knocked Braig, Ienzo and Even off their feet as well.

He opened his eyes very slowly, after realizing that no one was touching him. He saw Braig, Dilan and Elaeus sprawled on the ground, their white coats grass-strained from the fall. They looked up at him with eyes filled with shock, maybe even fear.

He realized they were looking _far_ up at him. Staring down, it finally came to him that he was touching nothing: his shoes hovered several feet off the ground. Now no one laughed, and no one smiled.

That is, no one except Xehanort.

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	9. The Ninth Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Nine – THE NINTH HOUR

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**TICK**

It was finished. Riku had seen it with his own eyes.

He participated a lot less than he thought he had to. He had feared Vexen would need to take all kinds of random samples from him, or prod his mind for information. But Vexen only took limited measurements, seeming to analyze everything from a distance. He barely even had to touch him.

The rest of the time had been spent waiting while Vexen worked. They had very little to contribute beyond cleaning up the laboratory and getting it functioning again. The basements were now the only working section of the entire castle, but remained entirely too cold. Riku suspected Vexen preferred it that way.

On top of the anxiety from waiting, reports were still coming in over the gummi ship intercom of disappearances. Enough people had gone missing from Radiant Garden to stir up the beginnings of panic. A group of men had even threatened to invade the castle, and it was only some fast talking from Aerith and Leon that had gotten them to back down. Even worse, two more worlds had disappeared off the map. Every hour seemed to stretch out and last an eternity.

But Vexen would not be satisfied with a half-finished replica, and he only responded with shouts and thrown objects if one of them interrupted with queries on his progress. So they waited, until several days after first making the request, when Vexen finally came out of his lab willingly. They all jumped to their feet at his approach, and he gave them a satisfied smirk. "It's done."

Without saying a word, all six filed into the laboratory, with Riku leading the way. He stopped in his tracks just barely inside.

It was as if his reflection had stepped out of the mirror and come to life. The replica stood in the center of the room, eyes closed and head bowed slightly as if he were asleep on his feet. Seeing him in the flesh, Riku couldn't help but notice how much Xehanort's similarities came out: the long white hair with parts sticking up, the narrow face, the broad build. The replica was even dressed in some of his spare clothes.

Riku suddenly remembered what it felt like when he'd first seen the original replica, back when he was just fifteen. All the same feelings came rushing back to him in an instant, so thick he thought he'd choke on them: the shock, the anger, the guilt, and the unshakeable sense that something was horribly wrong. _Your reflection's not supposed to move and live on its own._

He was so caught up in staring at the other Riku that he didn't even realize the others were with him until Donald spoke up. "Is he even alive?"

Vexen walked around them and stood behind his creation. "He's alive. He'll awake on my command alone. But one he does, I'll have no control over him."

"Gawrsh, he looks just like the real Riku," Goofy commented.

Vexen sounded proud. "He should. He's an exact replica of the real Riku. However, his body, mind and even his heart are completely artificial."

Riku felt Kairi come up beside him. "But he's also supposed to have all of Riku's memories. Does he know that he's not the real one?"

"Well," Vexen looked between the replica and the original as if debating something with himself. "That's up to you to decide."

Sora put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and Riku exhaled slowly. "We'll figure out how to deal with him once we leave," he said with resolution. It didn't sound like Sora was looking forward to it, but Riku was still a little surprised at how readily Sora accepted the whole situation. He felt a little queasy again, and stepped out of the room for a bit of breathing space. Away from the lifelike and lifeless other him.

Sora followed him into the hall. "So all we need to do is find a way to get him to the door Merlin made. He can become Xehanort and we'll fix the time paradox!"

He suddenly whirled on his friend. "Sora, doesn't this bother you? I mean, I know the replica is just a fake person, but he's still a person! And we just created him to take my place. Gave him a life just so we could use it."

Sora didn't answer for a moment, and his shoulders slumped. "I know. I don't want to do this, either. I _definitely_ wish we didn't have to come back here and wake up Vexen. But it's the only way we can fix this mess _and_ not lose you."

He shook his head at the explanation. It would have sounded cruel, but he knew Sora couldn't really feel that way. It was pragmatic, and Riku hated how alike the two ideas really were. "I think I've rubbed off on you too much," he sighed.

"Only in the lengths you'll go for your friends," Sora said with a sad smile.

Riku wasn't sure what to think of that, but decided to take it as a compliment. "Whatever we do, I just don't want the replica to suffer. I don't know what will have to happen to him for him to become Xehanort."

"I think...Kairi, Donald and Goofy and I can just act like he's the real you, and talk him into going to the past. If he thinks he's you, maybe he'll act the same way, too."

He raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Are you sure you can do that?"

Sora didn't seem so sure, but he shrugged regardless. "I can try."

He glanced back into the cold laboratory, where the replica still stood like a broken doll. "Then let's get this done. I don't know how much longer I can stand having another me around."

"Yeah, having one you is enough trouble already!" Sora joked. Riku tried to laugh.

They walked back into the laboratory and prepared to awaken the replica. Of course, this meant that Riku couldn't be present, so he gladly made his exit. Sora, Kairi and the others would take the replica back in the _Highwind_, while he would follow them back in a smaller, one-man ship. It would be less than half a day before he'd have to come out of 'hiding' and assume the role of Riku again. _It won't take long. I'll never even really have to speak with him. It won't be like the last time._

As he ascended the stairs to Castle Oblivion's ground floor, it became harder and harder to convince himself of this. Echoes of the past followed him up the stone steps; shadows of chasing his own shadow. But the memories of those years were being lost in the time paradox, and he wasn't sure how much he really remembered. Did he really fight the replica and win? Did it taunt him with how easily it embraced darkness? Was he ever afraid of it because it was him?

_Pieces of myself...I just keep tearing off pieces of myself and throwing them in the dark's path._

He didn't even realize he'd reached the ground floor until Marluxia's overgrown garden caught his eye. He looked back the way he came, and could hear his friends' voices echoing up from the floors below. He knew he had to make himself scarce before the replica appeared, and he marched out the main front door to where the smaller gummi ship was parked. _It'll be okay in the end. Sora and Kairi will take care of the hard part. Just don't think too much about it._

But something still wasn't right in his mind. Something in Vexen's smile haunted him and made his skin crawl. It was the same smile he remembered from when he was young. _There's something none of us know._

When he reached the gummi ship, it finally occurred to him. _If this replica has all my memories, will he remember the things I can't? Will he remember the first replica?_

**TOCK**

He was lost. Lost, and completely alone. The wind was howling in his ears that felt hollow, everything felt hollow. Inside him there was nothing, and he could feel the black winds trying to fill the void inside so that he would never have to feel alone...

Not so alone. Someone or something was chasing him. He didn't know if they were men or monsters, all he knew was that their weapons were sharp and he couldn't move his feet. He needed to run somewhere – an oasis? An ocean. Somewhere where the black wouldn't seep through his pores and into his throat, his lungs.

But then the monsters got him. They grabbed his hair with long, twitchy claws and dragged him down into the sand. He tried to struggle, but their inky flesh just leaked into his. Then he heard their voices, cold and smooth down his spine:

_You're nothing._

_You're nobody._

_A cast-off. An extra. A mistake._

He tried to speak, but the dark was choking out his voice. "No, I'm not! I'm so much more!"

_No. You're nothing without us, without this._

_Without this, you're just another._

_"No, no, I'm more—"_

_Without you're just another just another just another_

-----

"I'm NOT!"

Xehanort lurched forward, and the black dissolved into a soft purple light. The sand was nothing more than soft comforters against his skin. He gasped for breath, taking stock of his surroundings.

The morning sun poured through his bedroom window and filtered through the drapes, eventually landing as warmth on his bed. The bed itself was thick, soft and downy, loaded with too many extra pillows as royal things usually were. His work clothes were folded neatly on a chair by the nightstand. He could hear water babbling in the gardens outside and the steady chime of the clock. Almost eleven.

_Just a nightmare. Nothing more._

But the day was already in motion, and he needed to get going. So he tossed aside the covers and chills and set to work putting on the clothes provided for him. They still took a bit of getting used to, but the formality made sense. He glanced in the mirror, and noticed his white hair had been tangled into a mess during sleep. He straightened it long enough to catch his own green eyes in the mirror, and then turned away.

Just as he finished dressing himself, he heard a quick knock on the door. After giving the okay to come in, Ansem entered the bedroom. "Ah, Xehanort. I was wondering if you were up by now."

"I'm anxious to look around the rest of the castle today," he replied.

"Well, I came to tell you that I wouldn't be able to escort you today. I have some affairs with the town committee." Ansem sounded annoyed at the thought. "But after all, you're a grown man, and I'm sure you can look around on your own."

"I'll do that, then," he said. He decided it would be nice for once to just explore without Ansem explaining the extended history of every place they visited. He could make his own observations.

Ansem nodded, his smile warm. "Oh, and one other thing I wanted to ask you in private. I know you've only been with us a short time, but I must say I'm impressed with your improvement after such an experience. I was wondering if you would be interested in becoming my apprentice."

Xehanort's eyes widened. "Apprentice?"

"Yes. I have five young men under my tutelage already, but I could always use more help. And I believe the experiments we're starting will be especially beneficial to you. If you're willing to help, I believe we can recover your lost memories and restore your past."

For the first time since he arrived at Radiant Garden, Xehanort felt truly happy. The feeling warmed him like the sun on his bed, chasing away the blurry afterimages of his nightmares. Here was his chance to know who he really was, to prove his doubts wrong!

"I'd be honored!" He felt like he should say more, but barely got the words out as it was.

Ansem laughed. "I'm glad to hear you say so!" He opened the door again. "We can go over the details later. For now, I must prepare for the meeting."

He couldn't hide the smile any more. "Yes. I shall see you this afternoon!"

------

After a quick breakfast, Xehanort was once again out exploring the castle and surrounding grounds. The castle was busy today, and people bustled about the gardens with all manner of business. He did his best to avoid anything more than simple nods and waves. The last thing he wanted was unnecessary questions ruining his good day.

He first thought he would explore the Great Crest today, but it was too crowded for his tastes, and he didn't appreciate that much sun. So he made his way downward, to the castle's ground level. The Grand Hall, like much of the rest, was crowded with flowers, fountains and shelves of books. A few small computers guarded the doors as well. The computer technology was still a bit new, and hadn't been introduced into the main town yet.

He was so engrossed in his surroundings that he almost tripped over a small body in his path. He stumbled out of the way, only to discover a young girl standing before him. She wore a trim pink dress, and clutched at some stuffed toy, not looking more than three or four years old. Her hair was a deep red, almost wine-colored, and her eyes were an even deeper ocean blue.

She blinked up at him with a toddler's curiosity. "My name's Kairi. What's yours?"

Xehanort felt cheated out of a reply. Suddenly, the promise of the day seemed to be drowned at the bottom of those ocean eyes, and all he could feel was a great and terrible sadness.

It wasn't coming from her, though. Far from it. She seemed different even from the other children he'd seen, as if she was made of light itself. But that light just made all the shadows in him seem all the more dark, just made his faults and imperfections all the more clear. But instead of jealousy or anger, sadness completely overwhelmed him.

_I've lost something. She's found it, whatever it is, but I've lost it forever._

He turned around and walked away without even answering her. He could hear her mother calling her back as he walked to the nearest door: the one that led to the lower levels with their sewers and never-used dungeons.

He wasn't even aware of how long or how far he tread. His mind was awash with thoughts, flashes of the red-haired girl that came from the ocean. _Is it a memory? Do I know her? Has she known me, and seen me since before I can remember?_ It was getting colder, and the walls were becoming dank and mossy. _It must be a memory. I've seen her before, and yet I haven't! She has what I've lost; she holds the key!_

Then he suddenly stopped. He's reached a dead end.

And at the end of the corridor stood a door.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	10. The Tenth Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

Also, a few basic lines in here are originally from Rebmakash's Secret D Reports, so she gets credit for them.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter Ten – THE TENTH HOUR

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**TICK**

"Something's wrong."

Riku could not remember being so nervous. He paced across the library like a caged animal; while Donald and Goofy sat at the reading table and watched him walk. A lunch assortment had been left for them, and Riku tossed an apple from said lunch from hand to hand. He didn't really feel like eating.

"It'll be okay, Riku!" Sora and Kairi'll be back any minute, and all the worlds'll be fixed," Goofy assured him. Donald, never one for being overtly optimistic, just grumbled to himself.

"I can't just stand here, though."

"If you go and the replica sees you, it'll just make things worse!" Donald reminded him.

"I know, but—" Riku stopped. The apple he's just tossed from his right hand never made it to his left. He checked around his feet, but it wasn't on the ground. It had just vanished.

"Oh no!" Goofy pointed to the bookshelves, and Riku spun to look. Books were disappearing off the shelves right before his eyes: five, ten, twenty, forty were gone in a flash. Riku's heart stopped dead as he suddenly realized he couldn't remember what the islands looked like or when his birthday was. _Is this world disappearing?_

"I'm going!" he yelled to Donald and Goofy.

"Waaak, wait!—" Donald cried, but he was already out the door and sprinting down the hall.

He barely paid attention to his surroundings as he ran through the halls, although out of the corners of his vision he thought he saw the gardens fade into nothing. He made it to the gummi terminal in record time, where thankfully one of the smaller transports was still docked. He glanced towards the terminal office, didn't see Cid, and decided to just start up on his own.

The gummi ship hummed to life at his command, and in a moment he was in the air. He almost threw on the extra boosters before remembering he didn't need to clear the world's wall, but still, he wasn't sure _exactly_ where he needed to go. _The edge of the world._

He pushed the throttle forward and zoomed out over the town, past its walls, past the settlements beyond it, and out into the open fields. He scanned the ground through the cockpit shield before remembering to turn on the radar. He considered flipping on the intercom and asking Chip and Dale was what happening, but he didn't want the distraction—

There. The radar found it first, and then his own eyes caught sight of the three people and the door in the field below. Lowering the ship as close as he could, he left the controls on autopilot, raised the cockpit shield and leapt out onto the grass below.

"I knew you'd show up eventually."

Riku felt a shiver course though him. It was his own voice, but he hadn't said a word. He got to his feet slowly, and finally saw it: the replica was standing against the door. Sora and Kairi faced him, both with their Keyblades drawn. They all now looked towards him.

The replica grinned at him with malice. "I know everything. Before I left, Vexen told me everything: how you're supposed to be the real Riku, and how I'm just a quick _replacement_ so that you don't have to go back and become Xehanort."

The shiver came back, chilling his blood. "Vexen...told you..."

"Us _fakes_ have to stick together," the replica sneered. He took a few steps away from the door, and Sora and Kairi mirrored his actions. Riku finally looked closer, and realized Sora's neck was bruised, and that Kairi was limping.

He gasped, "Listen, this world's starting to fall apart—"

"And did you even _ask_ if I wanted to get thrown into the past and stay there? Did you ask if, maybe, I wanted to live my own life instead of being your pawn? No, of course not!" the replica continued, his tone accusing.

"We didn't have any other choice!" Sora cried.

"Only because your _real_ friend was too cowardly to just own up and walk through the door himself," the replica yelled back. "So he has some replacement go instead!"

Even though he couldn't exactly remember it, the feelings of the first time he'd been called a coward from his own mouth rushed back and flooded his face with hot anger. He jumped to his feet and summoned his Keyblade, yelling, "I am _not_ a coward!"

The replica seemed to realize he was outnumbered, and glanced back and forth between the three with nervous eyes. However, his voice still held a wild confidence. "I'm not going back there, and you can't make me! I'll my own life, not how you dictate it!"

Kairi still tried to convince him with words. "You have to go back! If this world disappears, then you won't even _have_ your own life!"

"I'd rather take you all with me!"

Riku seethed, his arms almost shaking with fury. He hated hearing such words come out of his own mouth, with his own voice. _It's as if Vexen took all the dark in me and made it walk and talk in my body._

The replica glared back into his eyes. "I know what you're thinking. And yes, I _am_ different from you. I'm better than you. All your powers, your abilities that are merely mediocre in your hands? I have them all, enhanced by Vexen. _You're_ the one who's the worn out copy."

He suddenly fell headlong into the grass, shoved to the side by the blunt end of Sora's Keyblade. "If you think Riku's a coward, then try us!"

A flowered Keyblade blocked his way back up, and he followed the line of the blade to Kairi. She added, "We don't want to do this to you, but we can't let Riku go!"

The replica snarled, and raised one hand. A burst of dark energy rose up from the ground and knocked her into the air. She landed hard on her shoulder, eliciting cries of "KAIRI!" from both Sora and Riku. He jumped to his feet as if to attack Sora next, but Riku grabbed him in a headlock from behind and held him down. "Sora, help me!"

Sora grave a brief glance back at Kairi to make sure she was okay before nodding back at him in return. He ran to the door and pulled it open fully. Hot air spilled into the fields, but it was impossible to see what lay beyond. He then rushed to grab the replica by one shoulder, while Riku held firmly onto the other. The replica struggled against them with wild thrashes and kicks, but with their combined strength they held him fast.

Riku tried not to look into his mad green eyes as they dragged him to the open door. The replica, realizing he was overpowered, began to yell at the top of his voice. "This isn't my choice! This isn't my choice!"

"It's mine," he said, and they reached the door.

The replica finally caught his gaze, and he couldn't tear it away. "I swear to you, I will make you pay for this! I will make you suffer!"

"You already have."

With a mighty heave, he and Sora thrust the Riku replica through the door. The moment the sound of his fall echoed back, they both turned around and slammed the door shut.

For what seemed an eternity, they didn't move. The only sound was the squelching of grass as Kairi limped back over to them. "Is it done? Is everything fixed?"

Sora looked around at the fields and open sky. "I don't know. But everything _feels_ okay. We have to go back to the castle and make sure the worlds are all right."

"Then let's lock this thing so there's no way the replica can come back here," she said with no small amount of guilt.

"Wait."

The two turned to look at Riku, who was staring hard at the door. "Riku?"

He stepped forward and put his hands on the handles. "There's just...I need to do something."

He could almost hear the panicked tone in their voices. "Wait, Riku, don't!—"

The door creaked open again at his pull, and he gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'll be right back, I promise! Don't lock the door until I get back."

Before they could protest any further, he stepped through the door and into blinding light.

**TOCK**

He tried to open his eyes, but saw nothing but blinding white, and he squeezed them back shut. He thought he heard a sound, but it felt a thousand miles away, like all sensation. _I'm dreaming._ No, this felt too real to be a dream. _I've died, and this is what comes after death. Nothing but white forever._

But slowly, the sound became more distinct, and he realized it was a voice. He tried to move, but his limbs felt numb. His entire body was numb except his throat, which screamed for water. He was so thirsty, and all he could think of was a desert, an endless desert whose dust clung to him and caked his lips.

"Water..."

At forcing the word out of his mouth, the light finally came into focus. There were two soft lights shining on him, and sunlight poured in from a nearby window. He was laying on a bed, or maybe a couch, covered in soft sheets. He could now hear a sound like waterfalls outside, and he smelled fresh flowers. _Not a dream, not an afterlife. An oasis?_

He was not alone. A man strode up to him, dressed in a white lab coat and long red scarf, and carrying a damp washcloth. His face was worn with the care and wisdom of many years, although his long blond hair seemed like it should've been lighter and grayer for his age. The man smiled broadly at him. "Oh good, you're awake. Here, drink this."

The man handed him a glass of water, which he took and gulped down between thankful gasps. As soon as he downed the entire glass, he tried to sit up. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Now settle down, you're still quite weak." The man pressed the damp washcloth against his forehead, wiping away some of the heat of his fever. "As for your questions: my name is Ansem. You are in a place called Radiant Garden, and I am what you may call a servant of this world."

He tried to calm his racing breath, but questions still burned in his mind. "How did I get here?"

"I make travels around the edges of the city periodically. I found you in the desert, not far from the front gates." Concern came through Ansem's voice. "You were very badly beaten and sick from the heat. Nearly dead, even. I brought you back here and have been tending to your injuries for the past two days."

He looked down at himself, and discovered he'd also been dressed in white. He thought maybe he'd had different clothes before, but the memory was blurry. He glanced back up at Ansem, suddenly suspicious. "Why did you help me? Do you want something from me?"

Ansem suppressed a chuckle. "My my, so many questions! And I was afraid we'd have trouble getting you to talk."

"Then you can answer them," he said, rubbing at a slight pain in his temple.

"I want nothing more from you than a full recovery," Ansem replied. "But I have some questions, too. What is your name?"

_My name?_ He opened his mouth, waiting for the right combination of letters to fall from it. But nothing came. Instead, all he heard was a voice echoing in his head: _You're just another just another just another just—_

"Anot—" He started to say it, but stopped himself. The word felt dirty and hated on his tongue. He wanted to twist the word, undo it, change it into something better...

"Tora...Zuh...Xehanort," he finally blurted. _Not Another, but better. Xehanort._

Ansem considered this, seeming to know that he's just come up with the name. "Xehanort. I'm glad I finally know your name. Now, I've been around this world for a long while, but I don't believe I've ever seen you before. Where are you from?"

He reached into his mind for an answer, but like his name, he came back with nothing. "I don't remember."

"What do you remember?" Ansem asked carefully.

The ache in his head grew worse, and he massaged at it, wincing. "I can't...I can't remember anything! My home or my family or...nothing!" The realization sent panic coursing through his veins. _I'm nothing, I'm no one. I have nowhere to go, no one to be. I have no past, I have no future. _"I can't remember anything!"

Ansem put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You're still recovering, Xehanort. I have dealt with cases of amnesia before. It is possible that with enough time and rest, the memories will return to you."

Xehanort couldn't shake the hollow feeling inside him. "What if they don't return? What if they _never_ return? What will happen to me then?"

"I assure you, we will not throw you out into the street. You will be taken care of." His eyes met Ansem's, and he found himself startled by how bright and orange they were on the other man. "I could not call myself a servant of this world if I couldn't help every person in need, be they from this city or not. I will help you discover who you really are."

He finally calmed a little, and looked to the ground. "You've done all this for me so far. I still feel like you'd want something in return."

Ansem busied himself with rinsing off the washcloth and folding up the sheets for changing. "Well, if you must insist on something in return, perhaps we can discuss it later. For now, you just concentrate on getting well. There's a room prepared for you already, and you can stay there as soon as you're ready to move out of the infirmary."

He tried to think of something else to say, but there was only one response necessary. "Thank you."

Ansem just nodded. Xehanort let out a long breath, barely able to soak in so much information. He had a thousand more questions begging to be asked, but for now they would have to wait. He let himself take in the softness of the sheets, the babble of fountains, and the overwhelming smell of flowers.

A small part of him felt comforted, and suddenly, the image of a young girl standing by the ocean came to his mind.

He didn't know where he came from, but for now, this would be his home.

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	11. The Eleventh Hour

**The Eleventh Hour**

**By Lynx (of Organization VI)**

**Rating:** Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

**Summary: **For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

**Notes:** Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter Eleven – THE ELEVENTH HOUR

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**TICK **

Riku shielded his eyes from the light, and when the brightness burned away, he found himself in a vast desert. Hot winds whipped against the barren ground, kicking up dust and making it impossible to see far into the distance. He saw strange shapes on the horizon, but none of them were the replica. It looked like he was alone.

He cupped his hands to his mouth. "Ri—" No. _His_ name was Riku. So what could he call the replica?

After a pause, he yelled again. "XEHANORT!"

The air left his throat as he felt hands squeeze around his neck. He struggled, trying to grab at the body behind him, while gasping for breath. His own voice hissed in his ear, "You shouldn't have come back, Real Thing."

In response, he stomped his boot down on the other's foot. The hands loosened, and he took the opportunity to wrench free and twist around. He grabbed at the replica's shoulders, trying to shove him off, but the replica pushed him and they went tumbling together into the sand. They rolled, and landed with the replica on his back, allowing Riku to get up. "I just wanted to say I was sorry!"

The replica snarled, wiped the dirt from his face and jumped to his feet. "'Sorry' won't cut it. Not this time."

He started to react, but the other threw up a hand, and a column of darkness shot from the ground and knocked him flat. He heard a ringing in his ears as his skull contacted with the hard ground. Just as he tried to recover, the replica was on top of him again. The ringing came back in full force as a fist pummeled into his face, and he tasted blood from his nose and lip.

"I'm glad you came back. I knew you would. 'Cause you know what I'm going to do?"

Riku staggered to his feet as the replica pulled back, and wiped the blood from his face. He saw himself grinning like a madman, like the pieces of Xehanort had always done. _Destroying myself over and over—_

"I'm going to beat you senseless. Then you can stay here and be Xehanort as much as you like. And I'll go back and live _your_ life."

His fists clenched at the thought, and he tried to stoop down and get the other from behind. But in one swift motion, the replica kicked a clout of sand into his eyes, and he was blinded. "Don't you see? I have your abilities. I have your memories. Your friends will never know the difference."

He stumbled out of what he hoped was harm's way, wiping furiously at his eyes. The dust was sticking to the blood, assaulting his senses. He hissed back, "Sora and Kairi will know."

The replica's eyes burned, and Riku barely had time to block the first punch at his jaw. The second hit home in his stomach, his knees gave out, and he hit the ground again. "They'll never know. I'll make sure they care about me just as they do you. Do you know why?"

Riku struggled to get up, but the replica's boot hit his chest and he fell again. "Because I know you, and I know I'm better than you. I'll do everything and anything you won't." Another kick to his ribs. "All the things you'd never dream of but dream anyway! Maybe when I get back I'll taunt the magician until he can't see straight and makes a stupid mistake."

_No._ Another kick, this one in the stomach.

"Maybe I'll disturb the King who cares so much for you. Maybe I'll tell him all the secrets you never wanted him to hear."

_No, no, I can't keep fighting myself!_ A rough kick to the side, and he was on his back.

"Maybe I'll steal Kairi's affections until her _husband_ goes mad with jealousy!"

That forced his eyes open. He saw the replica...no, it was himself, all of himself that he hated, staring back at him with a mad grin and hateful green eyes. The other him held a large rock in one hand, and raised it above his head. "I'm stronger than you. I'm _better_ than you. Because I do not let inhibitions hold me back."

And then he knew.

A sorry smile graced Riku's bloodied face. "Yes. Which is why you will become Xehanort and I won't."

The startled pause was all he needed. His Keyblade was in his hand in a flash, and the thrown rock merely bounced off its flat edge. His other self recoiled with a yell of pain as the shock echoed back up through his nerves.

His energy rekindled, he leapt to his feet and swung the blade at his opponent, who dodged. This time he sensed the dark blast coming, and countered it with a reflective spell from the blade. Gritting his teeth, he concentrated and fired dark aura. The spell hit home, earning him another painful cry from the replica.

The rest of the flight was a blur of wind and dust and movement. For all his other self could do, he couldn't seem to summon a Keyblade. He pounded him mercilessly, seeing only himself but destroying him anyway. _You may be me, but I'll never be you. I have lost enough time to you...I have suffered enough because of you! And if I have to tear away pieces of myself to satisfy the dark, then I will!_

The desert winds hushed into stillness at the last strike. The replica, his other self, Xehanort, was pinned to the ground, with his Keyblade at his throat. It was over.

He had won.

**TOCK**

He had lost.

He could not even lift his head to meet Riku's gaze. All of his great strength was drained from his limbs, and he couldn't move them.

He didn't move when he felt the Keyblade lowered from his throat. He didn't move when he heard the sound of footsteps fall away from him, growing fainter with every step. And he still didn't move when the footsteps faded away into nothing.

But once the wind picked up again, he suddenly seemed to realize what had happened, and that he was completely alone. Fear settled over him like a wash of cold oil. "N-No..."

His lips cracked, and he ran his tongue over them, trying to bring back his voice. "No...no! I didn't mean it!"

Panic brought him to his feet, and he scanned the horizon frantically. Nothing met his vision but the dirt and the blurry sky. "Come back! Please, come back!" He shouted to the empty winds. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! PLEASE, COME BACK, DON'T LEAVE ME!"

He began to run. The door had to still be nearby. Riku was compassionate, if he asked and apologized, maybe he'd let him live a real life; not sacrifice him to time itself...

But the more he ran, the more the desert looked the same. The winds tore at his clothes and skin; he could almost feel the sun bleaching his hair to white and burning his skin dark. There was only himself and the rocks and dust, himself and a thousand thoughts of hate and fear and despair in his head. Himself and—

Keyblades. Hundreds of them, maybe thousands, and almost all of them worn and rusted as if they were centuries old. They flickered in the sun as if they weren't _really_ there, and perhaps they weren't.

But the two figures approaching him were.

They seemed to blur into the desert itself, but when they became visible, he saw their curved armor and long capes. The memories of Riku told him that they were Chasers, and that he was supposed to fear them, but he didn't care.

He fell to his knees as they surrounded him, gasping out his words through a dirt-choked voice. "You want Riku to become Xehanort. But I'm not him! I'm just a fake, a replacement! The real Riku's going back through the door!"

"We know."

"We've known all along it was you."

"It couldn't have happened any other way."

"You were always meant to become Xehanort."

His hands shook. The cold, creeping panic stole over him again, and became sounds in his throat. "No..."

The main Chaser hung its head. "We wish this had never happened. We wish Riku and you hadn't suffered."

The shorter female continued, "But you did, and you will. You must. For the sake of all worlds."

The Chaser lifted its massive Keyblade over its shoulder. "You will remember nothing. For that, you should be at least thankful."

He stumbled to his feet once again, searching for an excuse, any excuse. "But...wait, no! Vexen said that memories are the support of the heart! If all my memories are taken away, my heart will collapse!"

The main Chaser replied, "Just one memory is enough to sustain the heart."

"And we will leave you with one memory."

With that, the shorter, female Chaser lifted the mask from its head. He saw its face, and his heart sank into a deep anguish because it was all too clear now; he knew what memory would keep his heart and haunt him forever. He backed away from the sight until he bumped into the other Chaser, and it leaned down and spoke to him in a voice he realized he'd known all along:

"You're not Riku. You never were. You're just Another."

He felt the Keyblade strike his head, and then the world dissolved into a black nothing.

**TICK TOCK **

The clouds of sand parted, and Riku saw Merlin's door straight ahead, waiting for him. He suddenly didn't care about the replica or his predicament. All that mattered was that he was going home. He would study with the King again, and laugh with Donald and Goofy, and sit with Sora and Kairi by the beaches and gardens and grow old with them. _It's_ my _life I'm getting back. _

But once he reached the door, he found one of the Chasers waiting for him. It was the tall one, with the massive warhammer Keyblade. Riku skidded to a halt before the door, suddenly furious with being reminded of why he was here in the first place. "I've done what you asked! There's a Riku in the past now; a Riku that will become Xehanort and end the time paradox. What more do you want from me!"

"Nothing," the Chaser quipped in its metallic voice. It swung the door open for him, letting the light of the future spill into the desert. "You made a selfish choice."

"I don't regret it," Riku shot back.

The Chaser suddenly burst into laughter, and it sounded strained and strange. "Always waiting until the eleventh hour to decide what you really want. You will never stop chasing yourself, Riku."

The dry and coppery taste of his own blood came back to him, and only seemed to intensify his fury. "How do _you_ know? How do you know the past and present and future? How can you just barge in and know every detail of my life and how _I_ feel?"

"Because."

Then the Chaser reached up and lifted the visor-like mask from its head. Beneath, Riku saw _his_ face, with _his_ green eyes and silver hair and _his_ sad smile, but with ten and twenty and fifty and a thousand and no years upon it. It was like looking into infinite mirrors, like all his thoughts and feelings and deeds reflected back at him for what they really were.

"We chase time because we have none. We're what you become when your time in this life runs out."

Riku ran through the open door and never looked back.

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THE END 

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I just wanted to give tons of thanks for all the comments and encouragements people gave. I enjoyed reading responses, and I had tons of fun writing this! XD

- Lynx


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